Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators are probing senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidential office, and Zelenskyy has fired one of his most senior officials. The probe follows investigators naming a deputy head of the presidential office among suspects in a money-laundering case. Sources say Zelenskyy himself is not implicated, but the case raises the risk of a new political crisis.
The developments come a day after Ukraine’s recently fired defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, calls for national elections despite Russia’s more than four-year invasion. Multiple outlets describe the simultaneous political upheaval and investigation as a distraction for Zelenskyy during the war’s fifth year.
Reporting focuses on what investigators allege rather than on public evidence details. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau says suspects are linked to money laundering of about 150 million hryvnias (around $3.4 million) connected to bail payments in a major corruption case involving a state-owned nuclear power company, which previously triggered resignations of other ministers. Outlets note investigators describe a criminal organization involving sitting and former lawmakers, along with figures tied to state banking oversight.
