Zelensky fires deputy office chief amid Ukraine anti-graft probe
President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Iryna Mudra, the deputy head of his presidential office, after Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies said they had uncovered a money-laundering group involving senior officials. The dismissal was published in a decree on the presidential website on Wednesday. The move comes as investigators widen a probe that officials say reaches into the top levels of the state.
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The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said they had uncovered a group that allegedly laundered 150 million hryvnias, or about $3.35 million, to pay bail in an energy corruption case. In a video statement, the agencies said the group included a deputy head of the presidential office, a former lawmaker, and the heads of the management and supervisory boards of a state-owned bank. They did not name the individuals, citing Ukrainian law.
The agencies said they were carrying out an operation to expose what they described as a criminal organisation run by current and former lawmakers and involving senior figures from the presidential office. They said more information would follow, but gave no further details about the structure of the alleged scheme or the identities of those under investigation. The dismissal of a senior presidential aide adds political weight to a case that is already touching state institutions and public trust.
The case matters because it comes during wartime, when Ukraine's leadership is under intense scrutiny over governance, accountability and the use of public institutions. Anti-corruption enforcement has been a central issue in Ukraine for years, and cases involving senior officials can have implications for domestic confidence as well as for the country's relations with international partners. Allegations linked to an energy corruption scheme are especially sensitive because the sector has long been politically and economically significant.
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The probe also highlights the role of Ukraine's anti-graft bodies, which have been tasked with investigating high-level corruption despite political pressure and the constraints of war. NABU and SAPO have previously been central to major corruption cases, and their public announcement suggests the investigation has reached a stage where officials judged it necessary to disclose the scale of the alleged laundering. The reference to bail payments indicates the case may be connected to efforts to secure the release of suspects in the wider energy corruption inquiry.
What remains unclear is how many people are formally under suspicion, whether charges will follow, and how far the alleged network extends inside state institutions. It is also not yet clear what role, if any, Mudra is alleged to have played, as the agencies have not named suspects in line with Ukrainian law. The next developments to watch are further statements from the anti-corruption agencies, any court action, and whether more personnel changes follow inside the presidential office.
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