Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities are closing in on senior figures with close ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a series of investigations threatens to become a serious political problem for the government in Kyiv.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy dismissed deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra, hours after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced a major new probe into an alleged criminal organisation involving officials linked to the presidential office. The suspects include a sitting member of parliament, a former lawmaker, and the chief executive and head of the supervisory board of a state-owned bank, which appears to be Sense Bank.
Investigators allege the group helped launder around €3 million (150 million Ukrainian hryvnia) that had been posted as bail for a suspect in a separate corruption case. That case, codenamed Operation Midas, has become the largest corruption investigation of Zelenskyy's presidency, targeting alleged kickbacks at Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear power company.
From Midas to Forest Gump
Operation Midas was unveiled in November 2025 after a year-long investigation. NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) allege that members of a criminal organisation exerted influence over Energoatom without holding formal positions there, extracting 10-15% of contract values from suppliers in exchange for approving payments. Around €85 million was allegedly laundered through the scheme.
Former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko has been accused of money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation. NABU said in February that more than $7.4 million, €2.4 million and 1.3 million Swiss francs connected to the alleged scheme had been transferred to his family.
The €3 million at the centre of the latest investigation, dubbed Operation Forest Gump, was allegedly posted as bail for Halushchenko. According to search warrants leaked by Ukrainian lawmakers, Sense Bank was used to transfer part of those funds.
NABU also released audio recordings in which Mudra can be heard discussing Sense Bank and alleged attempts to influence decisions concerning it. In one conversation recorded in June, she said she had been told that the bank's chief executive and supervisory board head would visit her. She also referred to a person named “David” and the head of a parliamentary committee as seeking to provide political cover for the bank. It is unclear whether “David” refers to David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskyy's Servant of the People faction in parliament.
“They will not crack down on Sense Bank and Sense Bank must pay them,” Mudra said on the recording.
In another conversation, Mudra mentioned a person she described as “an Israeli refugee” named “Timur,” who had asked her to take responsibility for Sense Bank. The description appears to refer to Timur Mindich, Zelenskyy's long-time friend and former business partner, and an alleged ringleader of the Midas scheme.
From long-time friend to former chief of staff
Mindich was part of Zelenskyy's circle long before he entered politics, co-owning Kvartal 95, the production company the president co-founded. He left Ukraine for Israel in November 2025 and is also a suspect in the Dynasty investigation, which alleges that more than €8.8 million was laundered through a luxury residential development outside Kyiv, partly using funds from corruption schemes including at Energoatom.
But the most prominent name implicated in Dynasty is Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's former chief of staff and for years one of the most powerful figures in Ukraine. Yermak headed the President's Office from 2020 until his departure in 2025, serving as Zelenskyy's closest political confidant and playing a central role in domestic politics, diplomacy, and wartime decision-making.
In May 2026, NABU and SAPO named Yermak a suspect in the Dynasty money-laundering case. A court ordered him held with the option of €2.7 million bail, which was subsequently paid. Yermak has denied the allegations.
The same investigation also implicated former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who held several senior government posts under Zelenskyy and has been described as a longtime friend of the president's family.
Other investigations have reached former members of the President's Office. Rostyslav Shurma, a former deputy head responsible for economic policy, was named a suspect in January in a separate case involving alleged abuses of Ukraine's renewable-energy subsidy system. NABU and SAPO suspect Shurma, his brother Oleh, and others of embezzling around €2.7 million.
Zelenskyy himself has not been a suspect in any of the probes launched so far, but the growing list of people close to him under investigation is quickly becoming a political liability. The developments come as Ukraine's parliament reconvenes with key ministries still leaderless, and as the country continues to face Russian aggression. The anti-corruption drive, long a condition for Western support, is now testing the resilience of Zelenskyy's inner circle.
