Ukraine's Prosecutor General announced a crackdown on the legal profession and 119 investigations over the past year and a half
During the Kharkiv Unbreakable 2026 forum, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko spoke of the need to “clean up the legal profession” by rooting out corruption and influence peddling. According to him, over the past year and a half, 119 charges have been filed in cases related to corrupt practices and the abuse of procedural rights. Kravchenko also criticized a segment of the legal community, accusing it of manipulation in court and violations of professional standards.
He reported this in a Telegram post.
"Today I participated in the International Lawyers’ Forum ‘Kharkiv Unbreakable 2026.’ I spoke frankly. Without diplomatic niceties. I deeply respect the legal profession. The right to defense is unconditional. Without a strong legal profession, there can be no fair justice. Most lawyers perform their work professionally, honestly, and with dignity. It is they who build trust in the profession," Kravchenko said.
What are lawyers being criticized for?
But there are also those for whom their license has become a cover for corruption, fraud, and influence peddling. We consistently see:
disruptions of court proceedings,
fictitious motions,
manipulation of case assignment, and
blatant disrespect for the court.
He emphasized: adversarial proceedings are the foundation of justice, not a way to technically bury a case and exhaust the system. Because behind every proceeding stand the victims, their families, and the state, which during wartime cannot allow justice to be turned into a game without rules.
The Prosecutor’s Office will respond to this harshly.
The Prosecutor’s Office will respond to this harshly. Every instance of abuse of procedural rights is being documented. We are already reaching out to and will continue to reach out to the bodies of bar self-governance. And this is already yielding concrete results.
Kravchenko cited a striking example—the case of the murder of a teenager at a Kyiv funicular station. The attorney was held disciplinarily liable for obstructing the normal course of the proceedings. His license to practice law has been suspended. There are limits to procedural conduct.
As a reminder, NABU and the SAPO announced new chargesin the case involving the laundering of 460 million hryvnias near Kyiv.
Yermakwas asked about the charges brought against him: here is what he said.
On May 11, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau officially confirmed that a notice of suspicion had been served on Andriy Yermak, former head of the Office of the President. He is charged under Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means by an organized group or in particularly large amounts (8 to 12 years with confiscation).
Prior to this, footage appeared online showing NABU agents intercepting Yermak near the Kyiv Sports Palace and presumably serving him with a notice of suspicion.
