Zelenskyy Appoints Anton Kovalskyi Acting Prosecutor General on September 17 Following Kravchenko Dismissal Amid Call Center Corruption Scandal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Anton Kovalskyi, head of Khmelnytskyi Oblast Prosecutor's Office, as acting prosecutor general on September 17, according to Presidential Decree No. 946/2026. The 42-year-old regional prosecutor takes over an office shaken by allegations that former prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko's subordinate organized a ring to cover up scam call centers that defrauded Ukrainians and foreigners. Kovalskyi inherits an office facing scrutiny over its relationship with Ukraine's independent anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. Kravchenko submitted his resignation on September 7 after the investigation by NABU and SAPO reached his office. Zelenskyy suspended Kravchenko on September 14 under Ukraine's martial law legislation and submitted a formal request for parliament to approve his dismissal. On Tuesday, September 15, the Verkhovna Rada supported Kravchenko's removal with 317 votes. Zelenskyy then signed decree No. 932/2026 formally dismissing him on September 15. Kravchenko, who had served as prosecutor general since June 21, 2025, previously held positions as Governor of Kyiv Oblast and Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine. The appointment of Kovalskyi places him at the head of an institution facing questions about the handling of politically sensitive cases and a bitter confrontation with Ukraine's anti-graft agencies that has raised concerns about the country's reform record. Ukrainska Pravda previously learned that the heads of the Khmelnytskyi and Dnipropetrovsk oblast prosecutor's offices were among the leading candidates for the post. Kovalskyi has served as head of the Khmelnytskyi regional prosecutor's office since July 2025.