The intrigue surrounding the appointment of the new Prosecutor General of Ukraine is gaining momentum after the announcement of Andriy Kostin's resignation. Back in September of last year, Kostin made it clear that he wanted to leave his post and move to live in Europe, away from Ukraine. This became the signal for the start of the struggle for a vacant place, which continues with varying intensity throughout the year.
According to our sources, the key candidates for the position of Prosecutor General were Oleg Kiper, at that time the prosecutor of Kyiv, and Oleksiy Khomenko, the first deputy of Andriy Kostin. However, both still failed to win the final victory in this race.
Oleg Kiper is under constant pressure of media attacks, the intensity of which increases every time the discussion of candidates for the post of Prosecutor General enters the decisive phase.
We learned that Oleksiy Khomenko, for his part, visited the USA several times and was a few steps away from his appointment, but every time the situation changed literally at the last moment.
Oleksiy Sukhachev, the director of the SBI, was also considered among the applicants, but his candidacy was never seriously considered, despite his willingness to follow any orders in order to obtain the position.
Sources report that now the number of applicants for the position of Prosecutor General has increased. Among them stands out Ruslan Kravchenko, born in 1990, the head of the Military Administration of the Kyiv region. According to information from the sidelines, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy favors him, which makes him a strong candidate.
Another serious contender is Deputy Prosecutor General Anton Voytenko, born in 1984. According to rumors, he is supported by the "wings of the security forces", which adds weight to him in the internal competition.
Thus, at the moment, there are four real contenders for the post of Prosecutor General: Oleg Kiper, Oleksiy Khomenko, Ruslan Kravchenko and Anton Voytenko.
What's next?
Despite intense discussions and an active struggle for the position, Andriy Kostin is still listed as the current Prosecutor General on the website of the Prosecutor General's Office. Although his resignation has already been announced, the final appointment of the new Prosecutor General has not yet taken place.
Taking into account the complexity of political agreements and internal intrigues, the new appointment is unlikely to take place before the "notional November 5".
