The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has dismissed Iryna Mudra, the deputy head of the presidential office, according to a presidential decree issued on Wednesday. While no official reason for the dismissal was provided, media reports indicate that the move is linked to a large-scale corruption investigation.
Earlier that morning, Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NABU) announced that it had launched a comprehensive inquiry. In a brief statement, NABU said it was investigating a “criminal organization” allegedly composed of current and former politicians, as well as high-ranking officials from Zelenskyy’s office. Later, NABU confirmed that a deputy head of Zelenskyy’s staff was the focus of the investigation, although specific names were not disclosed.
These political developments arrive at a challenging time for Zelenskyy, who is facing increasing pressure. This pressure intensified after the recently dismissed Defense Minister, Mykhaylo Fedorov, demanded the holding of elections despite the ongoing state of war. Furthermore, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Jermak, stepped down last year and was subsequently named a suspect in a corruption probe.
