The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has rejected former prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko's claims that it was involved in a plot to carry out "violent acts" against him, describing them as an attempt to obtain protection abroad.
Source: NABU in comments to Interfax-Ukraine and Ukrainska Pravda
Quote: "NABU and Specialised Anti-Corruption Office (SAPO) view the statement by the former prosecutor general, who hastily left Ukraine after NABU and SAPO carried out Operation Carthage, as an attempt to secure protection in the country where he is staying."
Details: The Bureau stressed that Kravchenko's claims that NABU and SAPO were involved in the events he described are untrue.
Previously: On 28 October, Kravchenko claimed that the heads of NABU and SAPO had requested that a group be sent to Austria to carry out "violent acts" against him, supposedly on orders from the President's Office. According to Kravchenko, two servicemen from Defence Intelligence of Ukraine's Artan unit were detained in Austria. One of them had previously worked in NABU's surveillance unit. Kravchenko also claimed that the unit's commander, Viktor Torkotiuk, was in Austria when his subordinates were detained. The former prosecutor general provided no evidence to support his allegations. He also did not explain why he had not returned to Ukraine after his business trip.
Background: Kravchenko left Ukraine on the night of 13-14 September. Under an order he had signed himself, he was due to spend five days in Paris , allegedly attending hearings on Ukrainian children under the auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). However, his name did not appear on the list of participants in the discussion. His business trip ended on 18 September. According to Mariana Haivovska, spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office, Kravchenko had not returned to work by 21 September. On 8 October, Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko were detained in Vienna while carrying out an editorial assignment related to locating Kravchenko. According to Austria's Interior Ministry, Tkach was suspected of espionage, but the suspicion was subsequently not substantiated. The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office cited " eyewitness accounts " as grounds for the arrest but did not explain how it had verified their reliability. On 14 October, Tkach said the accounts may have come from people linked to Kravchenko and his circle.
Your support onPatreonhelps us keep the news free and accessible.