Carthage operation gives Ukraine’s parliament chance to assert its independence
Read NV on Google
The Verkhovna Rada may summon Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and declare no confidence in him, Ihor Reuterovych reminded (Photo: Martin Schulz/Flickr)
Political analyst Ihor Reiterovych told Radio NV that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Carthage operation gives Ukraine’s parliament a chance to assert its political independence on Sept. 8.
Speaking on Radio NV, Reiterovych noted that members of the Verkhovna Rada can summon Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, question him and hold a no-confidence vote.
"But there is one nuance. Something tells me that to hold a no-confidence vote or summon him, you need to have the votes. And right now, for example, I am not sure that most members of the single-party majority, as well as some opposition factions that have problems with anti-corruption agencies, will want to do that," the political analyst said.
He explained that many lawmakers view the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, or NABU, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, or SAPO, as their main adversaries because the agencies bring cases against politicians. He said lawmakers may also be reluctant to clash with the Prosecutor General's Office "because they already have enough problems with NABU and SAPO."
"Once again, we are talking about the Verkhovna Rada having an opportunity, precisely an opportunity, to assert its agency, to show and demonstrate its agency. But whether the Verkhovna Rada will seize this opportunity, whether it will exercise this agency, I frankly have doubts and questions about that. But the opportunity is there," Reiterovych said.
NABU's Operation Carthage
On Sept. 4, NABU announced Operation Carthage, a special operation targeting an alleged criminal organization headed by an employee of the Prosecutor General's Office. It later emerged that NABU and SAPO had detained Serhii Kropyva. The anti-corruption agencies said the Prosecutor General's Office official may have been involved in protecting a network of fraudulent call centers and laundering assets. Kropyva has since been ordered held in custody with bail set at 120 million hryvnias.
The Prosecutor General's Office later said it was prepared to fully cooperate with anti-corruption agencies investigating the possible involvement of one of its employees in illegal activities linked to fraudulent call centers.
Citing sources, Ukrainska Pravda reported that NABU and SAPO conducted searches involving Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his deputy Mariia Vdovychenko and Odesa regional Gov. Oleh Kiper.
NABU said five people had been implicated in proceedings under Article 255 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, covering the creation and leadership of a criminal organization and participation in one, and Article 209, covering money laundering. Those convicted face up to 15 years in prison.
On Sept. 5, the Prosecutor General's Office said that "at around midnight, NABU detectives nevertheless conducted investigative actions in offices used by the prosecutor general, the first deputy prosecutor general, as well as other employees and structural units of the Prosecutor General's Office."
The office also said the court order authorizing the searches contained no information indicating that Kravchenko had instructed anyone to facilitate the activities of call centers, obstructed efforts to uncover or investigate them, warned anyone about planned investigative actions, received money from such activities or accepted improper benefits, or used proceeds of crime to pay for renovations, security systems or other services.
During a hearing on whether to impose a pretrial measure on Kropyva, a SAPO prosecutor described his close relationship with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
The Anti-Corruption Action Center said the recordings appeared to show that Kropyva arranged renovation work at a house in Kozyn where Kravchenko lives, including the installation of a gas generator.
Bihus.Info journalists identified a house in Kozyn that may be used by Kravchenko and that was mentioned during the High Anti-Corruption Court hearing. Bihus.Info published photos of the roughly 300-square-meter house. The property was registered in early 2026 to a 73-year-old woman who had registered as a sole proprietor a month earlier and is not listed among Kravchenko's relatives in his asset declaration, according to the report.
Kravchenko denied involvement in the alleged protection of illegal call centers or the laundering of proceeds from their activities. He said he had rented the house in Kozyn since May 2026 and that it had undergone renovations before he moved in. He said he would declare his permanent place of residence in accordance with the law.
Kravchenko also denied any connection to a photograph of a safe containing cash that was presented by anti-corruption agencies. He said "conversations are just conversations" and that the safe shown in the image had nothing to do with him or the Prosecutor General's Office. According to Kravchenko, lawyers said the photograph came from a separate criminal case. He also said all expenses were made in accordance with the law and were within his declared income.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
