Astronomical pensions and luxury car fleets: what Ukraine's former prosecutors general are up to
Following Ruslan Kravchenko’s dismissal as Prosecutor General, attention has been focused not only on the new leadership of the Prosecutor General’s Office but also on what is happening to the agency’s former leaders. On the eve of his dismissal, Kravchenko signed charges against the heads of anti-corruption agencies and left the country.
According to media reports, if Ruslan Kravchenko does not return after his business trip ends on September 19, he could become the second Prosecutor General in the history of independent Ukraine to leave the country after serving in office.
In total, Ukraine has had 18 prosecutors general since gaining independence, seven of whom—including acting prosecutors general—served during Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency. None of them headed the office for more than two and a half years.
Ruslan Ryaboshapka
The first Prosecutor General during Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency was Ruslan Ryaboshapka. He held the position for just over half a year—until March 2020.
After his resignation, Ruslan Ryaboshapka founded the nonprofit organization “Institute for Democracy and the Rule of Law.” His partner in the organization is Polina Chizh, the former head of the Department of International Legal Cooperation and Asset Recovery at the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Ryaboshapka continues to comment publicly on political events. In particular, he supported participation in the “Odesa Half Marathon of Resilience” and criticized Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to impose sanctions against Andriy Bohdan, the former head of the Office of the President.
At the time, Ryaboshapka called the decision “unlawful” and suggested it might be motivated by personal revenge.
“An order of magnitude more pro-Ukrainian than Zelenskyy himself and his marauder friends,” is how Ryaboshapka described Andriy Bohdan, calling the sanctions against him “grounds for impeachment.”
In November 2020, Ruslan Ryaboshapka, Oleksandr Danylyuk, and Pavlo Klimkin founded the Center for National Resilience and Development.
According to the data provided, Ryaboshapka does not own any real estate or cars, and neither have his parents acquired any new property in recent years. He is divorced from his wife, Svitlana.
Viktor Chumak
Following Ruslan Ryaboshapka, Viktor Chumak served as acting Prosecutor General for a brief period—from March 6 to March 17, 2020.
His pension case became one of the most talked-about. According to a court ruling, Chumak’s monthly pension payment is to amount to approximately 240,900 UAH. In his explanations, he cited the law on pension benefits for persons discharged from military service and a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Iryna Venediktova
Following Chumak, Iryna Venediktova assumed the position of Prosecutor General, serving from March 2020 to July 2022.
After her dismissal, Venediktova effectively ceased public communication. She continues to serve as Ukraine’s ambassador to Switzerland.
Her asset declaration is hidden, and the NACP’s public registry also lacks the declaration of her husband, Denys Kolesnyk, who served in the National Police as deputy head of the cyberpolice department.
Oleksiy Symonenko
Following Venediktova’s dismissal, Oleksiy Symonenko served as acting Prosecutor General for 10 days.
Andriy Kostin
On July 28, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Andriy Kostin as Prosecutor General.
Kostin held the position until October 2024—a total of 2 years and 3 months. Iryna Venediktova served as Prosecutor General for slightly longer—2 years and 4 months.
After his dismissal, Andriy Kostin became Ukraine’s ambassador to the Netherlands.
His resignation came amid a scandal involving prosecutors’ pensions. It was revealed at the time that a number of prosecutors had obtained disability status and, through the courts, sought early retirement benefits, the amount of which in some cases exceeded 100,000 hryvnias.
The story of Kostin’s daughter, Anastasia, drew particular attention. In 2023, she posted on Instagram that she was “fed up” with Scotland and Finland and wanted to “go home to MONACO!!!” After the backlash, she apologized and later deleted her account.
Sviatoslav Piskun
Among all of Ukraine’s prosecutors general, Sviatoslav Piskun holds a special place, having headed the Prosecutor General’s Office three times—in 2002–2003, 2004–2005, and 2007.
In 2020, he also served as an advisor to Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.
As early as 2016, Piskun stated that his family had been living for about ten years in the town of Le Cannes on the French Riviera, near Cannes.
Svyatoslav Piskun’s family is also linked to significant assets in Ukraine.
In 2021, his daughter Tetyana Piskun became the owner of a 2021 Audi Q7. At that time, the cost of such a vehicle could have reached $75,000.
In addition, Tetiana Piskun owns seven properties in Ukraine, including a 260.9-square-meter house in Irpin and a 744.8-square-meter house in Kyiv on Obolonska Embankment.
According to journalists’ estimates, the value of the latter property may exceed $1 million.
Tetyana Piskun also owns a house with an area of 260.9 square meters in Yaremche.
Svyatoslav Piskun’s wife, Svitlana, owns four properties in Ukraine, including a house with an area of 109 square meters in Yaremche.
Vitaliy Yarema
Vitaliy Yarema headed the Prosecutor General’s Office from June 2014 to February 2015.
A former member of parliament and retired lieutenant general of the police, he became a sole proprietor after leaving public service.
According to the report, the Yarema family’s assets include, among other things, several expensive cars.
His vehicle fleet includes:
- a 2020 BMW X5 M50I, with an estimated value of about $60,000;
- a 2022 BMW X7, valued at approximately $60,000;
- a 2023 BMW F 900R, with an estimated price of $10,000.
In 2017, Vitaliy Yarema became the owner of a 219.1-square-meter apartment and a parking space in a residential complex at 67 Redutna Street in Kyiv.
The complex is located near the “Motherland” monument and was built in 2016.
According to estimates, such an apartment could be worth over $900,000 today.
Vitaliy Yarema’s wife, Margarita, owns a 2025 BMW iX, which is estimated to be worth about $85,000.
Their daughter, Ilona Yarema, owns a 2024 BMW M4, with an estimated value of about $100,000. She also owns an apartment at 67 Redutna Street and a 113.7-square-meter apartment in the “Novopecherski Lypky” residential complex.
Ruslan Kravchenko became the seventh head of the Office of the Prosecutor General during Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency, including acting heads. On the eve of his dismissal, he was on a business trip abroad.
According to media reports, Kravchenko left Ukraine, and his wife also crossed the border. His return after the business trip ends on September 19 is currently a separate issue.
Media reports also draw parallels with former Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka, who was placed on the wanted list after fleeing to Russia.
If Ruslan Kravchenko does not return to Ukraine after his business trip ends, this could be the first such case among senior prosecutors since the Pshonka incident.
At the same time, definitive conclusions regarding Kravchenko’s next steps can only be drawn after his business trip concludes and official information about his whereabouts becomes available.
Thus, the history of Ukraine’s former prosecutors general demonstrates a wide range of scenarios following resignation—from diplomatic work and civic engagement to legal disputes over pensions, political scandals, and property issues.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Ruslan Kravchenko from the post of Prosecutor General of Ukraine. Prior to this, on September 15, the Verkhovna Rada approved his dismissal. Kravchenko submitted his resignation on September 7 amid an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), in which his name appears in the investigative files.
On September 15, parliament approved Kravchenko’s dismissal. Following this, Zelenskyy signed the corresponding decree. Ruslan Kravchenko is now officially no longer serving as Ukraine’s Prosecutor General. The text of the document has been published on the President’s website.
