The key facts

  • Ruslan Kravchenko accused NABU and SAPO of deliberately derailing the peace talks in Abu Dhabi
  • According to him, the negotiators are thinking about their own safety rather than about agreements
  • On November 4, NABU conducted about 70 searches; among those implicated are high-ranking SBU officers

Accusations against the anti-corruption agencies

Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko in an interview with the American outlet Washington Examiner stated that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) are trying to derail the peace talks and harm the team of US President Donald Trump. According to him, the agencies are deliberately intensifying investigations against representatives of the Ukrainian authorities ahead of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which is why Ukrainian negotiators are thinking not about reaching agreements, but about their own safety and possible criminal prosecution.

“Only Russia benefits”

“Only Russia benefits from this. The main goal of NABU and SAPO is for the President of Ukraine and his team to achieve nothing, and for Trump's negotiators to fail as well,” Kravchenko is quoted as saying by Gazeta.Ru. The former prosecutor general believes that the agencies are acting on instructions from some third party and are deliberately obstructing the American leader, seeking to derail the peace agreements and benefit another country. These claims are Kravchenko's personal assessment; the publication contains no confirmation of the alleged “instructions from a third party.”

Context: searches at the SBU

The statement came against the backdrop of large-scale investigative actions: on November 4 it was reported that NABU had conducted about 70 searches in a bribery case involving the covering up of fraudulent call centers. According to Ukrainian media, among those implicated are high-ranking officers of the Security Service of Ukraine: head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood General Serhii Duka, head of the Main Directorate of Internal Security Colonel Anton Kravchuk, and first deputy head of one of the directorates Oleksandr Kovalchuk. The investigative actions are being carried out as part of Operation Carthage. Thus, Kravchenko's accusations concern specifically the investigations against the law enforcement leadership, which coincided in time with preparations for the talks in Abu Dhabi; the connection between these events remains the former prosecutor general's own version.