Prosecutor General Denies Involvement in Call Center Scheme
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko denied any involvement in protecting fraudulent call centers on Sunday, Sept. 6, following a major anti-corruption probe. Kravchenko suspended the implicated PGO employee, launched formal dismissal proceedings, and ordered comprehensive audits of the international cooperation and cybercrime departments alongside mandatory polygraph tests for all staff overseeing call center cases.
In brief: Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko denied any involvement in protecting fraudulent call centers on Sunday, Sept. 6, following a major anti-corruption probe. Kravchenko suspended the implicated PGO employee, launched formal dismissal proceedings, and ordered comprehensive audits of the international cooperation and cybercrime departments alongside mandatory polygraph tests for all staff overseeing call center cases.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko denied any involvement in protecting fraudulent call centers following anti-corruption raids and announced mandatory polygraph tests for staff handling related cases.
In a statement on Telegram, Kravchenko stated that he never gave instructions to assist illegal call centers nor used his authority to shield them. He confirmed that the structural department employee implicated in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) investigation has been suspended, with formal dismissal procedures initiated under statutory rules, adding that guilt will ultimately be determined in court.
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Kravchenko announced a comprehensive review of the International Legal Cooperation Department – where the suspect worked – and the PGO’s cybercrime division to audit previous decisions. He also ordered mandatory lie detector examinations for all prosecutors and staff involved in overseeing and investigating fraudulent call center cases.
“I specifically instructed to organize polygraph examinations for all employees of structural units related to procedural supervision and the investigation of cases involving illegal call centers,” Kravchenko said. “This applies to everyone without exception.”
Kravchenko stated that over the past 12 months, law enforcement conducted more than 1,050 searches, closed approximately 340 call centers, dismantled over 5,000 operator workstations, and notified 183 individuals of suspicion, with 93 indictments sent to court. He stressed that operational successes cannot excuse internal malfeasance.
The prosecutor general also clarified that investigators were granted full, unhindered access to his office during procedural actions. He dismissed viral media images showing a seized safe, stating it was not located inside the PGO building, and rejected online rumors suggesting he had fled or entered medical care, confirming he remains on duty in Kyiv.
Kravchenko’s remarks follow a joint statement issued Saturday, Sept. 5, by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) revealing a criminal organization within the PGO protecting illegal call centers .
According to investigators, a department head established the scheme in mid-2025, enlisting active prosecutors and associates to systematically collect bribes from call center operators that defrauded Ukrainian and foreign citizens.
Five suspects face charges under Article 255 (creation or leadership of a criminal organization) and Article 209 (money laundering) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
NABU detailed that the syndicate laundered more than $450,000 on luxury real estate, jewelry, and movable property. The group allegedly registered assets worth at least $270,000 – including units in an apartment complex near the Carpathian Mountains – under third-party names to hide beneficial ownership, while depositing over $225,000 into relatives’ bank accounts disguised as entrepreneurial income.
The formal disclosures followed coordinated searches conducted on Friday , Sept. 4. Anti-corruption detectives raided properties linked to Deputy Prosecutor General Mariia Vdovychenko and Odesa Regional Military Administration Head Oleh Kiper.
Detectives also detained Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the PGO’s International Legal Cooperation Department and a former deputy to Kiper in Odesa overseeing digitalization.
PGO spokeswoman Mariana Haiovska denied earlier reports that Kravchenko’s personal residence or office were searched, while the PGO affirmed full cooperation with anti-corruption authorities.
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