Zelenskyy suspends Ukraine's prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko

Presidential decree takes effect

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suspended Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko from office, escalating a confrontation at the centre of the country's law-enforcement and anti-corruption system. Decree No. 905/2026, signed on 14 September, orders Kravchenko's removal from active duties under the wartime legal framework. The measure is effective as an executive suspension, but it does not by itself complete the constitutional process for permanently dismissing the prosecutor general.

The formal text is brief and unambiguous. It cites the provision of Ukraine's law on the legal regime of martial law that empowers the president to act and names Kravchenko as the official being suspended. Meduza reported that a parliamentary vote on his dismissal was expected on 15 September. That distinction matters because the Verkhovna Rada, rather than the presidency alone, must provide the legislative approval required to end his tenure.

Conflict with anti-corruption bodies

The suspension follows a rapidly deepening dispute involving the Prosecutor General's Office and Ukraine's independent anti-corruption institutions. Kravchenko had submitted his resignation on 8 September after searches at his office. On the morning of the decree, he released a statement accusing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of improperly taking criminal-case materials during those searches and said he had prepared a notice of suspicion against NABU director Semen Kryvonos.

Kryvonos said he had not received such a notice, according to Meduza's account. Zelenskyy then publicly indicated that Kravchenko's departure was the only acceptable outcome before signing the decree. The competing allegations have not been adjudicated, and the available official order makes no factual findings about them. They should therefore be understood as claims by the officials involved, not as established proof of document theft, fabrication or other criminal conduct.

Meduza also reported that Kravchenko had left Ukraine in an official vehicle and described his location as a foreign work trip. He said he intended to brief international partners about the state of the anti-corruption system. That reported travel adds political urgency but does not alter the legal sequence: suspension has occurred, while permanent removal still depends on parliament. The presidency's decree contains neither a replacement appointment nor a detailed explanation of who will exercise the office's powers in the interim.

Parliament and institutional credibility

The next decisive event is the Rada vote. Approval would complete Kravchenko's removal and force the government to stabilise leadership at an institution responsible for major criminal prosecutions during wartime. Rejection or delay would create an unusual split between the president's suspension order and parliament's constitutional role. International partners will also watch whether the dispute is resolved through transparent legal procedures, because the operational independence of NABU and other anti-corruption bodies remains central to Ukraine's European integration and external financial support.