Kravchenko gave up personal protection after suspicion against NABU director entered register – UP

Mykhailo Tkach, STANISLAV POHORILOV - 16 September, 07:24

Ruslan Kravchenko. Photo: Kravchenko on social media

Ruslan Kravchenko, who was dismissed as prosecutor general by presidential decree on 15 September, has given up his personal protection two hours after information about a notice of suspicion against Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), was entered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.

Source: Mykhailo Tkach's article

Quote: "The Prosecutor General's statement on temporarily waiving personal state protection is dated 01:00 on 14 September – approximately two hours after information about the notice of suspicion against the NABU director was entered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations."

Details: The article says this may indicate that Kravchenko already understood at that point that he was leaving the country not as part of an ordinary business trip, since having state protection would have made it considerably easier to establish the prosecutor general's whereabouts.

Kravchenko crossed the border through the Shehyni border crossing at 02:30, three hours after the notice of suspicion was issued and an hour and a half after he gave up State Security Administration protection. This may indicate that he took both steps while already being near the border.

Kravchenko's wife left the country a day earlier, on 12 September, crossing the border into Moldova and later travelling to neighbouring Romania.

"It is also important to note that information that Kravchenko was planning to leave the country had been circulating in the highest government offices several days before his departure," the article says.

Previously: On 15 September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Ruslan Kravchenko as prosecutor general.

Background:

Kravchenko submitted his resignation as prosecutor general amid an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) into the alleged "protection" of scam call centres.
On 14 September, Kravchenko said he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU director Semen Kryvonos and accused NABU and SAPO of seizing materials from criminal proceedings against employees of the anti-corruption agencies in the course of searches conducted as part of Operation Carthage.
According to Ukrainska Pravda sources in law enforcement, Kravchenko left Ukraine in an official car on the night of 13-14 September. Kravchenko said in a statement that he had left to go on an official trip.
According to an order by the prosecutor general dated 13 September, a copy of which was seen by Ukrainska Pravda, Kravchenko left for Paris for five days "to take part in PACE hearings on Ukrainian children". However, he was not listed among the speakers on the event agenda.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to parliament to support Kravchenko's dismissal as prosecutor general.
Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk reported that parliament had received a motion from President Zelenskyy seeking Kravchenko's dismissal. The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement approved the motion.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!