Operation Carthage Paralyzes Prosecutor General's Office, Triggering Constitutional Crisis

The "Carthage" operation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) has paralyzed the Office of the Prosecutor General (OGP) by removing the very officials empowered to authorize key procedural acts. The investigation, which began as a probe into a scheme extracting $20,000–24,000 monthly from affiliated call centers, has escalated into a constitutional crisis over the authority to sign suspicion notices and other mandatory documents.

First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovichenko resigned on September 8 following searches and wiretaps. Deputy Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and another deputy, Oleg Kiper, also submitted resignation letters. Under Ukrainian law, the prosecutor general, first deputy, or a designated deputy must sign critical decisions; with all three positions vacant, the vertical of authority has effectively collapsed. Earlier, on September 6, Kravchenko had denied shielding call centers and said an OGP employee implicated in the NABU probe had been suspended, while ordering reviews of the international cooperation department and polygraph tests for staff.

Searches on September 4 targeted OGP premises used by Kravchenko and Vdovichenko. The High Anti-Corruption Court remanded Sergey Kropiva, a deputy head of the international cooperation department, into custody until November 2 with bail of 120 million hryvnias, barring contact with Kravchenko and Vdovichenko. Wiretaps allegedly show Kropiva making personnel decisions via the first deputy's office and referring to "the chief" as Andriyovych, understood to be Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. The investigation also cites renovation of the prosecutor general's house in Kozyn, a visa for his wife, and a birthday celebration.

Sources inside the law-enforcement system say key procedural work is partially blocked because no authorized signatories remain. This includes notifying members of parliament of suspicion — an exclusive competence of the prosecutor general — approvals in high-profile cases, and personnel decisions that keep regional prosecutor offices functioning. Seven OGP employees have been suspended; Kropiva was sent to a pre-trial detention center. Disciplinary proceedings create an appearance of activity but cannot replace the missing first deputy's signature.