Zelenskyy fires senior aide amid Ukraine corruption crisis

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed presidential deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra by decree after Ukrainian media reported that her house had been searched by investigators looking into an alleged money-laundering scheme. No official reason was given for the dismissal.

The move came a day after Mykhailo Fedorov, the former deputy prime minister responsible for digital transformation, released a video address calling for an early wartime presidential election and warning of a "systemic crisis of governance" and widespread corruption. Fedorov has become the first major public figure to directly challenge Zelenskyy over holding a vote during the war.

President stays silent on accusations

Zelenskyy did not directly address either Fedorov's corruption accusations or his election demand in his public statements, though he thanked parliament for confirming Fedorov's replacement, Yevhen Khmara. Fedorov, whose removal from office in July triggered the largest street protests since the war began, is reportedly considering a trip to the US, possibly as soon as next week, to seek support.

Elections have been suspended in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, and the constitution bars a vote during wartime. Zelenskyy's term notionally expired in spring 2024.

New investigation

The Nabu anti-corruption agency said it was running an operation against a criminal group allegedly involving senior officials from the president's office, a sitting MP, a former MP and executives at a state-owned bank. Nabu said the group was accused of laundering 150m hryvnias (about £2.5m) to post bail in June for former energy minister Herman Haluschenko, a defendant in the high-profile Midas corruption case alongside businessman Timur Mindich, who has fled the country.

Mindich is accused of orchestrating a scheme demanding kickbacks from suppliers to the state nuclear operator Energoatom. The scandal, uncovered in November, damaged Zelenskyy's credibility; two weeks later his then chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, resigned and was later arrested in May over money-laundering suspicions.