The key facts

  • The SBU dismissed two senior officials — figures in Operation Carthage
  • According to the investigation, at least 52 call centers with about 2,700 employees operated under the protection of law enforcement officials
  • The investigation has already led to the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko

Personnel decisions at the Security Service of Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine has dismissed two of its senior officials who became figures in an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau as part of Operation Carthage. This was reported by the press service of the security agency, as relayed by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru. According to the SBU's statement, the head of the agency, Oleksandr Poklad, dismissed the officials, and the service is 'providing full support and facilitating all necessary procedural actions' in the criminal proceedings.

What is known about the Carthage case

According to Life.ru, the case concerns a scheme of protecting fraudulent call centers involving representatives of several law enforcement agencies at once. The investigation established that at least 52 call centers operated under the group's protection in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, employing about 2,700 people. For protecting each center, the organizers allegedly paid about seven thousand dollars a month via cryptocurrency wallets — in exchange for warnings about inspections. In addition, NABU links members of the group to drug trafficking, counterfeit cigarettes, fake banknotes, assaults and kidnappings. The organizer of the scheme is said to be a repeatedly convicted man known by the nickname 'Kriminal', and among the figures involved is an SBU major general with the call sign Akim, who, according to the prosecution, shielded the group from the attention of his own security service.

Searches and a conflict during the investigative actions

On November 4, NABU conducted about 70 searches in the case of bribes for protecting call centers. According to ZN.UA, citing sources in law enforcement agencies, as reported by Gazeta.Ru, the investigative actions affected the head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood, General Serhii Duka, the head of the main directorate of internal security, Colonel Anton Kravchuk, and the first deputy head of one of the directorates, Oleksandr Kovalchuk. Life.ru reported that during the search of Duka's home, armed men prevented NABU detectives from entering for several hours despite a court warrant: the investigators were held at gunpoint, and they were only able to begin their work three hours later.

Background and consequences of the investigation

Operation Carthage began in September 2026 with anti-corruption agencies' interest in the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine: at that time, the head of the agency's cyber department, Serhii Krapiva, was detainedon suspicion of organizing protection for call centers. Investigators claimed that participants in the scheme laundered income through real estate, jewelry and by registering property in relatives' names. The investigation also touched the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office: in September, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko resigned, calling his decision political and denying any involvement in the corruption scheme. Commenting on the current investigation, Poklad said he had discussed its progress with the leadership of NABU and the SAP and noted cooperation with foreign partners, since certain episodes of the case may involve other countries.