Why the appointment of Kravchenko as prosecutor general proved fatal: MP named Zelensky’s main misstep

The idea of a “Maidan without politicians” hasn’t gone away. The belief that the country can be changed quickly, that something new can be created and that young, unknown people can be found who only need to be trusted ultimately prevailed. According to People’s Deputy Mykola Kniazhytskyi, the appointment of Ruslan Kravchenko as prosecutor general was one of the direct consequences of that approach. The politician believes this situation has revealed a problem: a lack of accountability for personnel decisions. The president who proposed Kravchenko’s candidacy and the deputies who supported it in the Verkhovna Rada effectively did not have enough information to evaluate the future head of one of the state’s key law enforcement bodies. According to Kniazhytskyi, Kravchenko did not have a long political biography or a public record that would allow society to understand his views, principles, and readiness to take responsibility for his decisions. What was known was primarily his involvement in the proceedings against Viktor Yanukovych. However, the deputy emphasizes that this fact alone does not automatically mean a person is ready to serve as a statesman, politician, or head of one of the most important law enforcement agencies. Kniazhytskyi also said the current situation around the prosecutor general shows the risks of appointing people to top state positions without sufficient experience in public accountability. In his view, if a public official is subject to a criminal proceeding, he should openly defend his position, communicate with the public, prove his case, and protect his reputation. This is especially true for the head of the law enforcement system, who himself led an institution that opens criminal cases against other people. At the same time, Kniazhytskyi drew attention to Kravchenko’s behavior after the criminal case emerged. If an official changes phone numbers, avoids publicity, and society does not know where he is or what is happening, the deputy believes this may indicate an unwillingness to accept the level of responsibility that such a position requires. However, Kniazhytskyi stressed that there is an even more important question in this story: why didn’t the president and the deputies who supported the appointment see the potential risks? The deputy explains this by the absence of personal responsibility for staffing decisions. In his words, the authorities have developed a sense that certain decisions may not have serious consequences. Kniazhytskyi cited several examples of this approach: failing to ensure adequate preparation for a full-scale invasion, not properly heeding Western intelligence warnings of a possible Russian attack, or appointing people to key positions merely because they seem young, new, or convenient. But, the politician emphasizes, every decision ultimately has consequences. “The consequence of a society’s irresponsibility is a government that stops fearing responsibility,” Kniazhytskyi summed up. Recall that Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who earlier reported that he had filed charges against the NABU director, crossed the border on the night of 14 September in an official vehicle. He cited a business trip to Lithuania as the reason for leaving the country.