Ukraine's anti-corruption agency uncovers criminal group protecting scam call centers, allegedly led by a top prosecutor

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said on Sept. 5 they had uncovered an alleged criminal organization led by a senior official at the Prosecutor General's Office that protected fraudulent call centers and laundered millions of hryvnias.

The case comes amid a series of high-profile NABU investigations, including probes involving Zelensky's former deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra and former Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, as well as the major Energoatom corruption case.

NABU did not publicly name the alleged organizer, identifying him only as a head of one of the Prosecutor General's Office's structural units.

On Sept. 4, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent that NABU had detained Serhiy Kropyva, a deputy head of the international cooperation department at the Prosecutor General's Office, in connection with the case.

According to investigators, the official created the group in mid-2025, recruiting serving prosecutors and associates outside the Prosecutor General's Office.

The group allegedly received systematic bribes in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers to operate without interference. The call centers targeted both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners, investigators said.

According to NABU, operating fraudulent call centers is one of the most profitable forms of criminal activity in Ukraine.

The proceeds were then allegedly laundered through property purchases, third-party ownership schemes, and bank accounts belonging to associates.

Investigators said more than Hr 20 million ($450,000) was spent on real estate, jewelry, and other valuable property.

Assets worth at least Hr 12 million ($270,000) were allegedly registered in the names of third parties to conceal their true ownership, including property in an apartment complex near the Carpathian Mountains.

Another Hr 10 million ($225,000) was placed in bank accounts belonging to associates and presented as legitimate income from business activities, according to NABU and SAPO.

Five alleged members of the organization have so far been identified.

According to investigators, the official leading the group worked on behalf of and received protection from someone identified as the "boss." His patronymic appears to be Andriiovych, according to the recordings released by NABU.

Within the formal structure of the Prosecutor General’s Office, a top prosecutor could report directly to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, whose patronymic is Andriiovych. NABU did not directly implicate Kravchenko in the case.

Neither Kravchenko nor the Prosecutor General’s Office has responded to the allegations made by NABU.

Earlier on Sept. 4, the Prosecutor General’s Office denied reports that Kravchenko’s office had been searched as part of the investigation.