Kravchenko and the 'threat in Austria': Prosecutor General's Office says it received no complaint

What the Prosecutor General’s Office said

Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has not contacted Ukrainian law enforcement about an alleged threat to his life in Austria, acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalskyi said on 2 November.

“Legally we have nothing: no case has been registered over this, no complaint has come from him,” he said. According to Kovalskyi, there is a criminal case on the matter in Austria, but the Austrian side has not sent a request for mutual legal assistance; when it does, a reply will be prepared.

Kovalskyi added his own view that “someone is trying to build a good basis for asylum”. This is the official’s personal opinion, not a procedural finding.

What Kravchenko claims

On 28 October Kravchenko said a group of people had allegedly been sent to Austria to commit “unlawful violent acts” against him, at the alleged request of the heads of NABU and SAPO. He also claimed two serving HUR military intelligence officers had been detained, that orders allegedly came from the President’s Office, and mentioned two Ukrainska Pravda journalists. NABU called his statements an attempt to secure protection in his country of residence.

Important: none of these claims has been publicly confirmed by official sources in Ukraine or Austria. Austrian authorities have not disclosed details of their investigation.

Context

Kravchenko resigned on 7 September after NABU and SAPO announced operation “Carthage” into a Prosecutor General’s Office official allegedly protecting fraudulent call centres; Kravchenko denied any involvement. He was dismissed on 15 September. Before the parliamentary vote he left on a business trip and did not return to work. Media report he is in Austria.

What next

The key questions are what the Austrian investigation finds and whether Ukraine receives a request for legal assistance.