Zelenskyy Dismisses Deputy Chief of Staff Amid Fresh Corruption Probe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree removing Iryna Mudra from her role as deputy head of the Office of the President. The move follows a money-laundering investigation that named a deputy head of the presidential office among suspects in a scheme alleged to have moved 150 million hryvnias (about $3.4 million) to post bail for a defendant in a major graft case. Investigators searched Mudra’s office, but she has not been formally charged. Zelenskyy made no public comment on the probe itself.

Associated Press

The dismissal comes a day after former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, recently removed from his post, called for a wartime presidential election, describing the situation as a “systemic crisis of governance.” Fedorov’s appeal challenges the constitutional ban on elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Earlier anti-corruption actions have already forced the resignations of Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers and led to the arrest of former chief of staff Andriy Yermak on money-laundering suspicions.

The Guardian

Zelenskyy’s decree simply announced Mudra’s dismissal; no rationale was provided. In a separate address, the president presented housing certificates to decorated veterans, emphasizing national gratitude but offering no direct response to the corruption allegations. The Nabu anti-corruption agency announced a “special operation” targeting a criminal conspiracy that it says involved high-ranking officials from the president’s office, a serving MP, a former MP, and senior bank executives, though no names were disclosed.

The Guardian

Mykhailo Fedorov publicly accused the administration of widespread corruption and a deep governance crisis. In a video posted to YouTube, he argued that allowing Russia to dictate when Ukrainians can choose their government would be unacceptable.

The Guardian

• “Can Russia effectively be given the right to dictate when Ukrainians can choose their government again? I am convinced that the answer is no,” — Mykhailo Fedorov, monthof defense minister — Mykhailo Fedorov, former defence minister

The Guardian