Zelenskyy office on Kravchenko: "He’s gone mad"

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko’s decision to seek charges against National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Director Semen Kryvonos was made without approval from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, sources close to the Ukrainian president told Ukrainian media.

According to the sources, Kravchenko’s initiative to serve a notice of suspicion on Kryvonos and a person close to Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) head Oleksandr Klymenko was a personal decision and had not been coordinated with the Presidential Office.

One source close to Zelenskyy described Kravchenko’s conduct in highly critical terms, saying, “He’s gone mad. Perhaps he’s had a breakdown.”

Other sources close to the president also supported this account.

The reaction came after Kravchenko announced in a video address that he had signed charges against Kryvonos. He also called on Kryvonos and Klymenko to resign, saying he believed they should step down immediately.

The Prosecutor General accompanied the video with the caption: “I should have done this a long time ago.”

Kravchenko had previously submitted his resignation amid a new investigation by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, although parliament has yet to consider it.

Ukrainska Pravda also reported, citing law enforcement sources, that Kravchenko had left Ukraine overnight in an official vehicle. 

By Sabina Mammadli