Former Ukrainian prosecutor general claims plot for violence in Austria

Former Ukrainian prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko has accused senior anti-corruption officials of orchestrating an attempt on his life in Austria. He stated that the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office requested a group be sent to commit violence against him. Kravchenko said the instructions came from the President's Office, though he admitted he lacked reliable information identifying the specific individual who issued the orders.

The former prosecutor general claimed that two members of the Artan military unit from Ukrainian Defence Intelligence were detained in Austria. He alleged that one of the servicemen had previously worked in the anti-corruption bureau's surveillance unit. Kravchenko also pointed to Artan commander Viktor Torkotiuk, who was in the country during the detentions. He claimed Torkotiuk was offered a promotion in exchange for his participation in the scheme.

Kravchenko has not explained why he stayed abroad after his official duties ended. He departed Ukraine overnight on September 13 and 14. A signed order authorized a five-day visit to Paris for hearings on Ukrainian children under the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. However, his name was missing from the participant list for that discussion. The trip concluded on September 18, but prosecutor general's office spokesperson Mariana Haiovska said he had not returned to work by September 21.

The former prosecutor general also linked his allegations to the detention of Ukrainska Pravda journalists in Vienna. He stated that Austrian authorities are investigating four people, including two representatives from that outlet. Journalist Mykhailo Tkach was in Vienna during the military personnel's detention. Tkach was later in Monaco shortly before a separate incident that Kravchenko connected to the alleged plot.

Tkach and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko were detained in Vienna on October 8 while searching for Kravchenko. Austria's Interior Ministry initially suspected Tkach of espionage but did not substantiate that charge. Vienna prosecutors attributed the detention to eyewitness testimony without explaining how its reliability was checked. Tkach said armed, masked men broke his car windows and pulled both journalists onto the road. One man knelt on his neck while Tkach identified himself as a journalist.

The journalist was accused of spying for Ukrainian military intelligence and participating in a criminal organization. He was released on October 9, though the newsroom had not yet reached him at the time. Bondarenko suffered injuries during the detention. On October 14, Tkach suggested that testimony from people connected to Kravchenko triggered the detention. He noted that investigators knew the pair were journalists by the time questioning began.

Kravchenko also drew a parallel to a June 29 explosion in Monaco that injured sanctioned Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev and others. Three people were hurt, two of them seriously. Yermolaiev accused Ukrainian Defence Intelligence personnel of an assassination attempt in a letter to Nice-Matin. He sought an independent investigation, and Kravchenko said Ukrainian prosecutors are handling that case.