Zelensky submits Kravchenko's dismissal to parliament as Ukraine's prosecutor crisis deepens

Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk announced on Monday that a formal submission from President Volodymyr Zelensky requesting the dismissal of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko had arrived in parliament. The Rada will consider it on Tuesday, 15 September, after the parliamentary committee reviews the document.

Rapid escalation of the crisis

The move caps a dramatic day in which Kravchenko himself announced he had signed a formal suspicion notice against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, accusing the anti-corruption bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of seizing case files during their "Carthage" raids.

Zelensky responded by urging parliament to back Kravchenko's removal "without delay". Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that Kravchenko had left Ukraine overnight aboard an official vehicle; Kravchenko confirmed he was abroad but said the trip was a work mission with scheduled meetings with international partners.

Path to dismissal

Servant of the People faction leader Davyd Arakhamiya stated that the dismissal bill would go through the relevant committee within hours and be put to a full chamber vote on 15 September.

Background

The crisis began on 4 September when NABU and SAPO carried out searches at offices used by Kravchenko. On 7 September, Kravchenko submitted his resignation under the pressure of NABU's investigation into alleged criminal protection of call-centre fraud rings. The latest move — filing suspicion against the NABU director — marked a sharp counter-escalation by the outgoing prosecutor.