Ukraine's chief prosecutor resigns over call centre corruption scandal
In his resignation letter, Ruslan Kravchenko denied the allegations against him, saying he did not want his office "to be used as a tool in political confrontation".
Ukraine's chief prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko has resigned over corruption allegations related to illegal call centres in the country.
It follows a search of his offices over the weekend by Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators, who said they had identified a money-laundering scheme led by an official in Kravchenko's office.
In his resignation letter, Kravchenko said he did not want his position to be used as a "tool for political confrontation", and referenced an earlier post in which he rejected the claims as "unsubstantiated".
Corruption scandals have plagued Kyiv throughout the war against Russia, with accusations levelled at several members of President Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle.
According to Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap), the network in Kravchenko's office received money to protect call centres that carried out phone scams and "laundered millions in assets".
The money was then used to buy property, jewellery, and other valuables, according to Nabu.
Kravchenko released a statement on Sunday evening dismissing the allegations as "completely unsubstantiated", and denied any wrongdoing.
He tendered his resignation a day later, thanking Zelensky and the Ukrainian parliament for their "trust". The Ukrainian president is yet to comment publicly on the resignation.
Despite the creation of two Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies, Nabu and Sap, over a decade ago, corruption continues to be a significant problem in the country.
In 2025, nationwide protests broke out after Zelensky tried to implement reforms that would curb the independence of Nabu and Sap.
Kyiv's European partners expressed alarm at the announcement, with ambassadors from the G7 group of nations warning it could endanger Ukraine's integration into the European Union.
Ukraine is an EU candidate country, a status it was granted on condition it mounted a credible fight against corruption.
Zelensky reinstated the freedom of the two anti-corruption bodies as a result of the backlash, but questions have persisted over his commitment to anti-corruption reform.
Last month, Nabu said it had uncovered a scheme to misappropriate more than $3m (£2.2m) in Ukrainian currency to pay bail for a former energy minister accused of money laundering.
A senior official in Zelensky's office alleged to be involved was sacked.
In an interview with the BBC last month, Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the president needed to be asked about his awareness of potential corruption among his closest team.
"Let him answer this question... I believe that he's ready for such questions. It's his responsibility to tell us all whether he was aware of all that or not... I don't want to make any assumptions," he said.
During his time in office, the 35-year-old was credited with heading a drive against corruption.
Since his dismissal in mid-July, after reportedly falling out with the head of Ukraine's armed forces, he has been outspoken against what he has called a "systemic crisis of governance" in Ukraine.
However, he has emphasised that he has no evidence that Zelensky is personally involved in corruption.
"In all the time that I worked with him, not a single time have I received from him any task or assignment that would go against law or my sense of integrity," Federov told the BBC.
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