Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired a senior member of his administration on Wednesday, August 19, just hours after anti-corruption investigators searched her home as part of a money-laundering investigation involving a series of high-profile legislators, bank executives, and other officials close to the presidency.
Zelenskyy dismissed Iryna Mudra as deputy head of the Office of the President with a one-sentence decree that offered no explanation for her removal.
Zelensky Speaking in UK Ukraine Government Photo
President Donald J. Trump and President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. White House Photo.
Mudra has served in the position since March 2024 and was one of the highest-ranking members of Zelenskyy’s administration targeted in the latest investigation.
It follows years of accusations of statewide corruption in Ukraine that extend back to well before the war began.
The dismissal also intensifies pressure on Zelenskyy as his government faces a series of corruption allegations and public protests over a controversial military leadership shakeup.
There has even been an open challenge from the recently ousted Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Neither Zelenskyy nor Mudra has publicly commented on the investigation.
Investigators Target $3.4 Million Scheme
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau, known as NABU, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, or SAPO, announced on Wednesday morning that they were conducting an operation against an alleged criminal organization.
The gang reportedly involves current and former lawmakers and senior presidential officials.
Investigators are looking into a scheme worth 150 million hryvnia, equivalent to around $3.4 million, that was allegedly moved through various shell-company bank accounts and later used to pay bail for a suspect in a separate corruption case.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), an independent law-enforcement agency that investigates high-level corruption, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which oversees NABU investigations and prosecutes corruption cases, announced the operation Wednesday morning, August 19.
In a joint statement, NABU and SAPO said that they were investigating an alleged criminal organization involving current and former lawmakers and senior officials in the Presidential Office.
Later that day, NABU and SAPO said the alleged group included a deputy head of the Presidential Office, a serving legislator, a former legislator, and the chief executive of a state-owned bank.
Although the agencies did not initially identify the suspects, Ukrainian media outlets and lawmakers named Mudra as a target of searches conducted that morning in Kyiv.
The agencies dubbed the investigation “Operation Forrest Gump” and released a short video on their Telegram channels containing part of an intercepted conversation. In the recording, an unidentified man can be heard discussing allegedly stolen money and education payments being registered in the names of children.
Bail Payment Linked to Former Energy Minister
The money in question was allegedly intended to secure the release of former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who was charged last year with money laundering and participating in a criminal organization.
His prosecution resulted from Operation Midas, an investigation into an alleged $100 million corruption scheme involving the Ukrainian state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom.
Search warrants covered by the Kyiv Independent allege that Mudra was expected to help raise the 150 million hryvnia required for Halushchenko’s bail, and investigators are reportedly examining whether state-owned Sense Bank was used to transfer some of the money and circumvent financial regulations.
The officials under investigation also reportedly include Sense Bank Chief Executive Oleksiy Stupak and Myjola Hladyshchenko, the chairman of its supervisory board. Hladyshchenko was also suspended in May following the Energoatom investigation.
Neither Mudra nor the bank executives have been convicted of any wrongdoing.
Legislator Vadym Stolar, a former member of the now-banned pro-Russian Opposition Platform–For Life party, also confirmed that investigators searched his home and said that he was cooperating with NABU but did not provide further details.
Zelenskyy Faces Political Pressure
The scandal comes a day after recently ousted Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov made a very public attack on Zelenskyy following his dismissal in July.
In a nine-minute video released on Tuesday, August 18, the former defense official accused Ukraine’s political system of protecting itself and resisting reform, and allowing corruption to damage the country’s ability to fight Russia.
Fedorov also called for Ukraine to establish a legal and secure mechanism for holding elections during the war, arguing that Russia should not determine when Ukrainians can choose their government. Ukrainian law currently prohibits elections under martial law.
Parliament Confirms Fedorov’s Replacement
Hours after Mudra’s dismissal on Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament approved Maj. Gen. Yevhenii Khmara as the country’s new defense minister, formally replacing Fedorov despite ongoing protests demanding the ousted minister’s return.
Khmara told lawmakers his three priorities would be the front line, military personnel, and development of Ukraine’s defense industry.
Zelenskyy must now deal with ongoing demonstrations over his decision to oust the former defense minister and pressure over continued accusations of corruption at the highest levels.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
