The Verkhovna Rada supported the appointment of Ruslan Kravchenko by 273 votes by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. According to our sources, the nomination of the lawyer, who has been headed by the State Tax Service, was actively promoted by the deputy head of the Presidential Office Oleg Tatarov, who has been repeatedly called the Media Media Curator of Bank's law enforcement bloc.
It is because of this shadow support that the appointment raises questions - not only among the public, but also in the environment of anti -corruption experts. After all, Ruslan Kravchenko has repeatedly left open competitions because of problems with virtue.
In 2023, Kravchenko participated in the competition for the position of NABU Director, but was unable to undergo a stage of verification of integrity. The key issue is the incomprehensible origin of the apartment in the center of Kiev, which his wife received in 2014. They officially registered the marriage only in 2019. Another dark spot is a power of attorney for a Lexus car, decorated on Kravchenko with his test. The candidate himself said during the interview that he did not know about the existence of this document.
Particular attention was paid to the possible influence of Anatoly Matios, the former main military prosecutor, on Kravchenko's career. It was about obtaining a service apartment, however, Kravchenko reacted to connections with Matios categorically: they say that the contacts were exclusively working.
In a speech in Parliament, the newly appointed Prosecutor General promised to restore confidence in the prosecutor's office, prevent political persecution and get rid of "nepotism". At the same time, he never mentioned corruption in the prosecutor's office, did not outline plans to purify organs or fight fictitious disabilities that have long become a symbol of abuse in the department.
Kravchenko stated that he was "not representing political power, but the law", and promised that under his leadership the prosecutor's office would not become a tool of political pressure. He also assured that he has no relatives in the GPU system and would not allow protectionism.
Interestingly, among the key theses, he made a call for deputies to fulfill the promise to increase the salaries of prosecutors. In the absence of a specific vision of reforms, this sounded as one of the most clearly goals in speech.
The appointment of Kravchenko to the post of Prosecutor General actually completes the vacancy period, which lasted since October 2024, after the release of Andrew Kostin. However, experts already indicate the risk of further strengthening of the political control of the President's office over the law enforcement system, because Kravchenko has previously worked in structures accountable to Bank and demonstrated loyalty.
In the public space, Kravchenko still remains a figure with an ambiguous reputation. And despite the vowels in the Council, the key question remains open: will he be a real reformer - or another executor of Bankova's decisions?
