"Carthage" worth 120 million hryvnias: how the deputy head of the OPG department Kropyva laundered money from illegal call centers

Late on Monday evening, 7 September, Ukraine’s chief prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko announced his resignation amid a major corruption scandal. His direct subordinate Serhiy Kropyva, with whom Kravchenko apparently shared more than just work, was exposed for "protecting" illegal call centers and laundering illicit proceeds from their activities. The scheme involved close relatives and friends, and Sergei Kropyva himself, judging by the audio recordings released by NABU and SAP as part of Operation "Carthage," was confident in his impunity and in his boss’s influence, under whom this scheme operated for about a year.

This is reported by NGL.media.

The total amount of money that passed through this scheme is yet to be determined. However, some sense of the scale can already be gleaned. Analysis shows that just Serhiy Kropyva’s family and inner circle—who are clearly not the main actors in this story—acquired assets worth at least 120 million UAH.

You can’t enter the same prosecutor’s office twice

42-year-old Serhiy Kropyva, a native of Zolotonosha in the Cherkasy region, has the typical biography of an office law-enforcement officer—many years in the police, then in cyberpolice, and in 2022 he became head of a separate department of the Office of the Prosecutor General for investigating cybercrime.

Half a year later Serhiy Kropyva unexpectedly resigned and registered as a private entrepreneur. According to his declaration, business was going well: in seven months he earned just over 5 million UAH. But the private business apparently attracted him less than government work—and in July 2023 he became deputy head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration under Oleh Kiper. He held that position for two years until a new opportunity to return to the Office of the Prosecutor General arose.

In August 2025 a law came into force allowing appointments to regional prosecutor’s offices and the Office of the Prosecutor General without competition. That’s how Serhiy Kropyva returned to Kyiv as deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

By then he was already reasonably well off. In his income declaration for 2025 he reported nearly 1,4 million UAH in salary, 283 thousand UAH in pension, 65,5 thousand USD and 700 thousand UAH in cash savings.

Although Serhiy and his wife Iryna have three daughters aged between 6 and 13 years, the family did not own their own home. The prosecutor owned only a share in a family apartment in Zolotonosha, so until 2025 they officially lived in rented apartments.

But by 2025 the family moved into a house of nearly 260 m2 in the village of Lisky near Kyiv. 10 sotkas worth 1,6 million UAH, as well as the house itself in this elite Kyiv suburb, are registered to the prosecutor’s mother, Valentyna Kropyva. Ultimately, all of the prosecutor’s relatives also turned out to be well off, but more on their assets later.

In addition, SAP prosecutors believe that Serhiy Kropyva may have undeclared assets abroad, because he showed interest in buying a land plot in the United Arab Emirates.

Not the queen, only the king’s wife

37-year-old Iryna Kropyva scarcely declared income until 2020, but after her husband’s appointment as first deputy head of the cyberpolice department of the National Police she also went into business. In the first year as an entrepreneur, according to her husband’s declaration, she earned 2,5 million UAH—giving birth to their third daughter in the same period. Over the past six years Iryna Kropyva earned more than 26 million UAH as a sole proprietor.

According to YouControl, this March she registered LLC "Power Point" in her name, which rents property. Notably, Iryna Kropyva’s phone number is listed as a contact for two other companies—LLC "Shyny Dysky Servis" and "TradeDevelopment"—which are officially owned by other people and were registered in April–May this year.

In 2023 Iryna Kropyva bought a new Mercedes‑Benz GLE 450 worth almost 5 million UAH. She does not declare real estate in her name, but she holds some cash—83 thousand USD and 2,8 million UAH.

"Son, son, my angel"

The wife was not the only one who began entrepreneurial activity alongside Serhiy Kropyva’s career rise. His parents were not left out. They still seem to live in Zolotonosha in Cherkasy region.

Valentyna Kropyva with her son Serhiy (photo Facebook)

The official’s mother, Valentyna Kropyva, became a private entrepreneur in August 2021, taking up "photocopying." This coincided with the time her son effectively headed the cyberpolice department of the National Police. Within a few months she acquired a plot and a garden house of almost 260 m2 in the village of Lisky near Kyiv. The family of her son settled there, although in his declaration Serhiy Kropyva lists the house as unfinished. NABU values this property at 3,82 million UAH, although listings on specialized sites show market prices for houses in that village with similar area, pool, and plot reaching 40 million UAH.

At the end of 2020, even before registering as an FOP, Valentyna Kropyva was registered as the owner of an apartment in Kyiv’s Comfort Town residential complex. At that time one‑room studio apartments there without renovation cost from 1,3 million UAH.

Last year Valentyna Kropyva became owner of two more apartments. In Cherkasy she was registered as the owner of housing of 53 m2 in a residential district, and also a three‑room apartment in another Kyiv complex, Faina Town, where prices for such housing start from 6,64 million UAH.

In 2022 the father of our protagonist, Vasyl Kropyva, also registered as an entrepreneur. With little imagination he, like his wife, chose "photocopying" as his business area. Vasyl Kropyva is officially the owner of two land plots and a house of 291 m2 in Odesa—15 minutes’ walk from the city beach "Zolotyi Bereh". The cost of similar houses in that area ranges from 4 to 10 million UAH.

Vasyl Kropyva also owns real estate in Kyiv—for example, an apartment in the UNIT.Home complex, one of Kyiv’s most expensive residential complexes, where the price for a one‑room apartment from the developer starts at 7,86 million UAH. Since last year he has also owned a non‑residential premises in Boyarka, Kyiv region, which currently houses a fitness center.

In‑laws in the "Comfort" business

Halyna and Oleksandr Rohovchenky—Serhiy Kropyva’s mother‑ and father‑in‑law—also, starting from 2021, went into business and began buying real estate. 61-year‑old Halyna Rohovchenko in 2021 bought three small non‑residential premises in the same Faina Town complex as her sister‑in‑law Valentyna Kropyva.

The legal address of the Rohovchenko entrepreneurs is another apartment in that same Faina Town, which is registered to Lyudmyla Horobets—Halyna Rohovchenko’s sister and thus the aunt of Serhiy Kropyva’s wife. Another non‑residential premises of 41,5 m2 in Faina Town is officially owned by Oleksandr Rohovchenko—Serhiy Kropyva’s father‑in‑law. A year ago a one‑room apartment in the Great complex on the Dnipro riverfront was also registered in his name. On the primary market such an apartment without renovation starts from 3,3 million UAH.

It is worth noting that in all state registers the father‑ and mother‑in‑law are listed as entrepreneurs without patronymics, which may indicate an attempt to conceal relatives’ data.

All sole proprietors under Sashko’s wing

In February last year LLC "Ortigo", whose founder is listed as Vasyl Kropyva, Serhiy Kropyva’s father, took a bank loan of 7 million UAH secured by six apartments in Odesa region. Officially these apartments belong not to "Ortigo" but to another company—LLC "Agency of Investment Development and Real Estate Operations." However, both companies—the debtor and the pledgor—are directly connected because a co‑owner of both is one Oleksandr Dydych, married to Serhiy Kropyva’s sister Viktoriya.

Viktoriya and Oleksandr Dydychi

Viktoriya Dydych and Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko during a study trip to Rome in October 2025 (photo EUAM Ukraine)

Oleksandr Dydych takes an active part in the family business. Besides LLC "Ortigo", where the majority share is held by Serhiy Kropyva’s father, since 2020 he has had his own FOP providing legal services. Since 2021 he has held an attorney’s certificate issued in Odesa. The phone number of his FOP matches the phone number of Serhiy Kropyva’s father’s FOP.

But Dydych is not just a passive co‑owner of the family business. As established during a VAKS hearing, he is one of the key members of the group. Investigators believe Dydych’s main task was to launder money coming from the "protection" of illegal call centers. He maintained all the "black accounting," including activities of fictitious sole proprietors. According to the indictment, Kropyva in private conversations repeatedly said that all the FOPs were "under Sashko’s wing," meaning Dydych.

It appears that Oleksandr Dydych is only formally Viktoriya Dydych’s husband now. The couple are not officially divorced, but she lives with Maksym Shtompel—the deputy head of the Cherkasy regional prosecutor’s office. Because of this, at the trial an SAP prosecutor called Shtompel an "indirect relative" of Serhiy Kropyva. According to investigators, Kropyva may have lobbied for Shtompel’s appointment to the Cherkasy prosecutor’s office in April 2026.

83-year‑old owner of apartments in Bukovel

The scale of relatives’ involvement in the scheme is striking. For example, at the preventive measure hearing the aunt of Serhiy Kropyva’s wife—Lyudmyla Petriivna Horobets—was mentioned. “Hey, did you get Lyuda in?” the SAP prosecutor quoted a conversation between Kropyva, his driver and Dydych.

Lyuda was indeed "put in." A month before that conversation, on 26 February 2026, she registered as a sole proprietor under the KVED code "Restaurant activities, mobile food services." Yet already in 2024 a premises of almost 200 m2 was registered in Kyiv to "Lyuda," and in 2025 another almost 50 m2 of non‑residential premises.

Lyudmyla Horobets refused to speak to the editorial office, saying she "has no time or desire."

But the most interesting assets were hidden on Lyudmyla Horobets’ 83-year‑old mother—Yevhenia Horobets. Besides suddenly becoming an entrepreneur in June this year, in May she acquired two apartments and a parking space in the premium Glacier Premium Apartments hotel in central Bukovel.

From property registry extracts it became known that Rohovchenko H. (likely the prosecutor’s mother‑in‑law Halyna Rohovchenko) acquired rights to this property back in 2024, but a few months ago assigned the claim rights to Yevhenia Horobets.

Muse, queen and simply roommate

The prosecutor himself was somewhat overshadowed by his mistress Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko, for whom VAKS already chose a preventive measure—detention for 60 days with the option of posting 20 million UAH bail. The 24-year‑old woman, who in anti‑corruption materials is referred to by the pseudonym "Muse," is suspected of participating in the legalization of assets worth 21,6 million UAH obtained by criminal means.

Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko graduated from Odesa Law Academy in 2024, after which she worked there for almost a year as a lab assistant and performed the duties of deputy dean of the Faculty of Cybersecurity and Information Technologies "on a volunteer basis."

In the autumn of 2025 Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko was already presented as an adviser to the director of the Training Center for Prosecutors of Ukraine. But the center declined to discuss her work and, as they said, "refrain from comments." The editorial office sent an official request to the Training Center but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko in the dock of the High Anti‑Corruption Court during the hearing on her preventive measure, 7 September 2026

Judging by the audio recordings published by NABU and SAP and the available photos, Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko led a lavish lifestyle. On NABU recordings she mentioned a Porsche, Loro Piana, bracelets, watches, bags, furs. Although she deleted her Instagram account, some photos (for example a bag similar to Louis Vuitton and a belt with that brand’s logo) were posted by her mother on Odnoklassniki in 2022. The anti‑corruption center "Mezha" preserved full data from Ivakhnenko’s Instagram account.

Last October Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko became the owner of non‑residential property of over 153 m2 in Pechersk, Kyiv. A very similar premises at that address is currently being sold for 420 thousand USD. She also owns a Mercedes‑Benz EQE 2023 model year, which last year was sold for 60 thousand USD.

She only registered as an entrepreneur "in the field of law" in July last year. A few months ago her mother, Tetiana Ivakhnenko, followed suit and took up "photocopying." According to SAP, in April–June this year Tetiana Ivakhnenko received 1,78 million UAH into her account despite not engaging in real entrepreneurial activity. NABU investigators also claim she bought an apartment in Odesa in January this year.

The editorial office found that Yelyzaveta’s elder sister, 29-year‑old Karina Topalova, who works as deputy director for educational work at the communal Odesa lyceum "European," also became an apartment owner in Odesa last December, a flat of almost 60 m2. According to YouControl, she also owns a Tesla Model 3 2020 model year. Karina Ivakhnenko did not respond to the editorial office’s request for comment regarding the origin of these assets.

What is known about Operation "Carthage"

On 5 September NABU and SAP published an investigation into a criminal group led by a high‑ranking official of the Office of the Prosecutor General that "protected" illegal call centers and legalized the money through front businesses of relatives, converting it into property.

Overall the scheme has four key figures—Serhiy "Kantsler" Kropyva, his associate Yelyzaveta "Muse" Ivakhnenko, driver Serhiy "Kamrad" Kutsyi and Kropyva relative Oleksandr "Flash" Dydych. Investigators name Serhiy Kropyva as the organizer of the scheme, who, according to NABU, was a trusted person of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. On the NABU tapes about covering up so‑called call‑center businesses Kropyva often appeals to "the boss" and to "Andriyovych." At a VAKS hearing on 6 September SAP prosecutor Mykola Karas reported that Serhiy Kropyva effectively coordinated renovations in the prosecutor general’s house and organized his birthday in Madrid during an official trip. Amid the scandal Ruslan Kravchenko resigned and called his decision "political." He denies any involvement in the case.

VAKS sent Serhiy Kropyva to pretrial detention with the alternative of posting 120 million UAH bail; Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko—under 20 million UAH bail; Serhiy Kutsyi—under 3 million UAH bail. Oleksandr Dydych was remanded in custody with 15 million UAH bail.

Authors: Viktoriya Eismunt and Alyona Malichenko with the participation of Oleksandra Hubytska,