Kiev’s scam-call racket scandal escalates

An anti-corruption court in Kiev has ordered the arrest of a man who held a senior position under former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.

The widening scandal over an alleged protection racket exposed in early September is one of several to have rocked Vladimir Zelensky’s government, prompting multiple people close to him to flee the country for fear of prosecution. Kravchenko left Ukraine before parliament could dismiss him.

The latest suspect has been identified by the media as Ivan Timoshenko, who headed the Information Technology Department under Kravchenko before also resigning.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Timoshenko detained at the request of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which is investigating the alleged protection racket involving scam call centers at the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO). The court set his bail at $177,000.

According to NABU, the alleged criminal network, reportedly run by former cybercrime division chief Sergey Kropiva on behalf of his superior, generated at least $20 million in illicit proceeds. Kravchenko has not been formally charged with any crime.

The anti-corruption agency described Timoshenko’s role as crucial to the operation. He allegedly maintained direct contact with fraudsters protected by the network and collected payments from them. NABU also accused him of ensuring the group’s internal security, maintaining secrecy and recruiting new members.

According to media reports, Timoshenko and Kropiva previously worked together in Ukraine’s cyberpolice, the PGO, and the Odessa regional administration.

Both returned to prosecutorial work in 2025, after Kravchenko took charge of the PGO. Their return followed an unsuccessful attempt by Zelensky’s government to curb NABU’s independence, which prompted Western donors to threaten to suspend aid to Kiev.

Kropiva reportedly persuaded Kravchenko to appoint his longtime associate to head the PGO’s IT department. According to evidence presented by investigators when seeking Kropiva’s arrest, Timoshenko also helped him perform personal favors for Kravchenko, including arranging the prosecutor general’s trip to Madrid.