The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have exposed a criminal organization whose members systematically provided illicit benefits to high-ranking officials in law enforcement agencies in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses to operate unhindered.
According to a Wednesday post on NABU’s Telegram channel, the investigation revealed that current high-ranking officials from the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and representatives of the criminal underworld were involved in the criminal activities.
As previously reported, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) exposed five members of a criminal organization led by an official from the Office of the Prosecutor General (Operation “Carthage”), who systematically received illicit benefits for covering up a network of fraudulent call centers and laundered over 42 million hryvnias by purchasing real estate, including apartments in the Carpathians, jewelry, and by depositing funds into relatives’ accounts.
Amid the scandal over his possible involvement in the “Carthage” case, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suspended him from office, and on September 15, the Verkhovna Rada approved Kravchenko’s dismissal. In the materials from the National Security and Defense Council, the key suspect in the case—Serhiy Kropiva, deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation at the Office of the Prosecutor General—is identified as Kravchenko’s trusted associate. In particular, according to the investigation, he coordinated household matters and repairs at Kravchenko’s home.
At the same time, on September 14—after he had already submitted his resignation letter—Kravchenko signed a notice of suspicion against Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). In response, the NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) stated that they view such actions as a continuation of a systematic attack on independent anti-corruption bodies. On the evening of September 14, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that no such suspicion existed.
Kravchenko, in turn, stated that he had left Ukraine, citing a business trip as the reason. According to unconfirmed reports, Kravchenko and his wife may be in Vienna (Austria) and are in talks with local law firms regarding asylum.
Kravchenko has not yet been formally notified of any charges, but an internal investigation has determined that, while serving as Prosecutor General, he committed a disciplinary offense by arranging an unjustified trip abroad; the decision on whether to bring criminal charges against him will be made by Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities
Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky announced in October that the internal investigation into the former prosecutor general’s trip is ongoing, with the circumstances surrounding the organization of his trip being examined; in total, eight individuals mentioned in connection with the
“Carthage.” On November 2, he opened another criminal case against Kropiva—a key figure in the “Carthage” case—for using an official vehicle for non-work-related trips to Bukovel.
Following lawsuits filed by the prosecutor’s office, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has been ordered to establish protected boundaries for approximately 2,135 hectares of virgin forests in three districts of Zakarpattia Oblast, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel on Saturday.
“These are virgin forests and quasi-virgin forests—natural areas of special value that require proper protection. The problem is that their boundaries have not yet been marked directly on the ground everywhere. Therefore, for over a year now, prosecutors in Zakarpattia have been consistently demanding in court that “Forests of Ukraine,” represented by its “Carpathian Forest Office” branch, carry out work to demarcate the boundaries of these territories on the ground. “As of today, courts of first instance have granted the prosecutors’ claims regarding approximately 2,135 hectares of primeval forests in the Tyachiv, Uzhhorod, and Khust districts,” the statement reads.
Decisions confirmed by courts of first and appellate instance are already being enforced regarding the “Turbat Forest District” (136.8 hectares), the “primary and quasi-primary forests of the Lopukhiv Forest District” (100 hectares), and the “primary and quasi-primary forests of the Turitsky Forest District” (643.9 hectares), where the boundaries of these natural areas must be clearly defined on the ground.
At the same time, following appeals filed by the defendants, the Transcarpathian Regional Administrative Court is reviewing its decisions upholding similar lawsuits filed by prosecutors regarding the “Play Forest District” (161.7 hectares), the “Neresnytsia Forest District” (128.7 hectares), and the “Quasi-Primary Forests of the Bystrytsia Forest District” (98.6 hectares).
The Office of the Prosecutor General reports that there are other areas for which the court has already ordered the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” to properly formalize their protected status and demarcate their boundaries on the ground. These include the botanical reserve of national significance “Stranzul, Zadnya, and Kedryn” (510 hectares), the “Quasi-Primary Forests of the Perechyn Forest District” (35 hectares), and the “Primary and Quasi-Primary Forests of the Lyutyany Forest District” (98.6 hectares). These decisions are currently awaiting entry into force.
“The boundaries marked on the ground are not just lines on a map. They allow us to clearly define territories that have special nature conservation status and protect them from economic interference. For the Carpathians, this means a better chance of preserving unique natural habitats as they were formed without human intervention,” the statement reads.
As previously reported, in early October, as part of the “Green Shield” special operation, State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) officers served notices of suspicion to 12 officials at one of the branches of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” and forestry enterprises in the Rivne and Volyn regions. According to the Bureau, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” lost 6,851,000 UAH due to the sale of timber at below-market prices after officials organized the illegal sale of significant volumes of unprocessed timber to two export companies between December 2024 and January 2025.
Forests of Ukraine, nature conservation, primeval forest, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, Transcarpathia
Law enforcement officials have uncovered a large-scale scheme involving the illegal production and distribution in Ukraine of the counterfeit weight-loss drug “Biopatid,” in connection with which 27 individuals have been notified of their status as suspects, according to a Sunday announcement by the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General on its Telegram channel.
According to the investigation, the suspects include the scheme’s organizer and owner of the underground laboratory, the owner of a well-known Kyiv clinic, a customs broker, laboratory workers, packagers, sales and advertising managers, as well as other participants in the criminal activity.
The cost of the main ingredients was about $17, while the finished product was sold for up to $1,200. According to preliminary data, products totaling more than $5 million have been manufactured since the beginning of this year.
“The mastermind behind the scheme, aware of the high demand for weight-loss drugs and the high cost of medications containing the active ingredient tirzepatide, decided to set up his own illegal ‘pharmaceutical business.’ To this end, he set up an underground laboratory where a generic version of the drug was manufactured without any permits or quality control,” according to a statement released by the press service.
The raw materials were subsequently used in the underground laboratory. The participants in the scheme created a website and social media pages, recruited sales managers, and actively advertised the drug.
They offered it to beauty salons, clinics, and healthcare professionals in various regions of Ukraine. Bloggers, actors, and other public figures were also enlisted to promote the product.
As part of the criminal investigation, law enforcement officers conducted more than 250 authorized searches at locations where the counterfeit drug was manufactured, stored, sold, and distributed, as well as at hospitals and cosmetic clinics.
Investigative actions were carried out in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernihiv.
During the searches, investigators seized the counterfeit drug and raw materials used in its production, equipment from an underground laboratory, packaging materials and finished printed materials, documentation and drafts, as well as cell phones and computer equipment.
Law enforcement officers also seized cash in various currencies totaling nearly 15 million hryvnias, luxury cars, and other property.
The issue of imposing preventive measures on all suspects is currently being resolved.
The investigations were conducted by prosecutors in collaboration with SBU officers.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
Only 11 of the 103 criminal cases involving corporate raiding registered in Ukraine between January and July 2026 were referred to court, according to data from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine published by Opendatabot and analyzed by the Experts Club think tank.
Thus, approximately 10.7% of the cases reached the court stage—roughly one in nine cases.
In another 21 cases, law enforcement agencies issued notices of suspicion. This corresponds to roughly one in five cases registered since the beginning of the year.
All 11 cases that reached court relate to Article 205-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—the forgery of documents submitted for state registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs.
In total, 74 cases were opened under this article between January and July, accounting for nearly 72% of all proceedings related to corporate raiding.
The prospects for court proceedings regarding categories that are more serious from a business perspective look significantly worse.
Over the course of seven months, law enforcement agencies registered 17 proceedings concerning the unlawful seizure of property belonging to an enterprise, institution, or organization under Article 206-2 of the Criminal Code and 12 proceedings concerning obstruction of lawful economic activity under Article 206.
None of these 29 proceedings had been referred to court as of the publication of this study.
At the same time, the number of cases involving the unlawful seizure of corporate property in just the first seven months of 2026 already exceeded the total for the entire previous year, and their share in the overall structure of raider-related cases rose from 7% in 2025 to approximately 17% this year.
Overall, the number of registered raider attacks continues to decline. From January through July, there were 103 such cases—36% fewer than during the same period in 2025, and approximately five times fewer than before the start of the full-scale war.
BUSINESS, COURT, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, raider attacks, UKRAINE
In Ukraine, 103 criminal cases related to raider attacks were registered from January through July 2026, which is 36% fewer than during the same period last year, according to data from the Prosecutor General’s Office analyzed by Opendatabot.
The study was published on August 25, 2026.
Compared to the period before the full-scale war, the number of such cases has decreased by approximately five times. On average, law enforcement agencies registered about 15 cases of corporate raiding per month in 2026.
The highest number of new cases was opened in March—31 cases.
Most of the investigations involved the use of forged documents during business registration. Seventy-four cases were opened under Article 205-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, accounting for 71.8% of the total.
Another 17 cases, or 16.5%, concern the unlawful seizure of property belonging to a company, institution, or organization under Article 206-2 of the Criminal Code. Twelve cases, or 11.7%, were registered under Article 206 regarding obstruction of lawful economic activity.
At the same time, the success rate of investigations remains relatively low. Suspects were notified of charges in 21 out of 103 cases, or approximately one in five.
Eleven cases, or about 11% of the total, were referred to court over the seven-month period. Thus, approximately one in nine registered cases reached the court stage.
All cases referred to court relate to the article on document forgery. No proceedings concerning the unlawful seizure of corporate property or obstruction of lawful business activities were referred to court in January–July.
Source: Opendatabot, data from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine; study published on August 25, 2026.
BUSINESS, corporate raiding, criminal proceedings, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, UKRAINE
The competition to fill vacant administrative positions at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has officially begun; applications from candidates will be accepted from August 19 through September 21, 2026. This was announced by Oleksiy Shevchuk, a member of the selection committee and attorney, on Facebook.
“For over a month, our selection committee has been working practically nonstop to establish the highest-quality, clear, and equitable conditions for all candidates. We have developed a methodology, procedures for conducting the competition, and rules and evaluation criteria,” he wrote.
According to Shevchuk, potential candidates should monitor official announcements on the Office of the Prosecutor General’s website, familiarize themselves with the established requirements, and prepare the necessary documents in advance.
He noted that the main principles of the competition should be transparency, openness, professionalism, and equal conditions for all candidates, while the key evaluation criteria should be professionalism, integrity, and compliance with the established requirements.
Shevchuk also highlighted the participation of a representative of the bar association on the selection committee and urged attorneys who meet the established criteria to participate in the competition.
“If you meet the established requirements, prepare your application, submit your documents, and participate in the competition. The legal community has plenty of strong, independent, and professional lawyers capable of working within the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office,” he emphasized.
As previously reported, the selection committee responsible for organizing and conducting the competition for administrative positions at the SAP officially began its work on July 6, 2026. Laura Oana Stefan, nominated based on recommendations from international and foreign organizations, was elected chair of the committee, and Serhiy Shmalenya, delegated at the recommendation of the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine, was elected deputy chair.
The commission is responsible for selecting candidates for senior administrative positions at the SAPO, specifically the positions of first deputy and deputy head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/1LZ3kLSn1y/?mibextid=wwXIfr
CANDIDATE, COMPETITION, integrity, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, SAPO
