Ukraine anti-corruption probes close in on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle

Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Machine Turns Its Lens on Zelenskyy’s Closest Allies

Poinews.com – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra on Wednesday, a move that landed alongside the announcement of a sweeping anti-corruption inquiry aimed at what investigators describe as a criminal network embedded among senior figures connected to the presidential office. According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the circle of suspects extends beyond Mudra to include a sitting member of parliament, a former lawmaker, and both the chief executive and the head of the supervisory board of a state-owned bank — details that point squarely at Sense Bank.

Operation Forest Gump: The Bail-Laundering Thread

At the heart of the newest probe, internally labelled Operation Forest Gump, sits a sum of roughly €3 million (150 million Ukrainian hryvnia) that investigators say was funneled through the banking system after being deposited as bail for a suspect in an earlier corruption case. Search warrants subsequently leaked by Ukrainian parliamentarians indicate that Sense Bank was used to move at least a portion of those bail funds.

NABU also published audio recordings capturing Mudra in conversation about Sense Bank and what she characterised as efforts to sway decisions affecting the institution. In one exchange recorded in June, she stated that the bank’s chief executive and supervisory board chair were expected to visit her. She additionally mentioned a figure called “David” and the chair of a parliamentary committee as individuals seeking to furnish political protection for the bank. Whether “David” denotes David Arakhamia, who leads the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, remains unconfirmed.

“They will not crack down on Sense Bank and Sense Bank must pay them.”

In a separate recording, Mudra recounted a phone call from a man she identified as “Timur,” whom she described as “an Israeli refugee,” who urged her to assume oversight of Sense Bank. The description aligns with Timur Mindich, a longtime personal friend and former business partner of Zelenskyy, and a co-owner of Kvartal 95, the production company the president co-founded. Mindich had been part of Zelenskyy’s orbit long before either entered politics.

The Midas Backdrop: Energoatom’s €85 Million Kickback Scheme

The Forest Gump matter did not emerge in a vacuum. It grew directly out of Operation Midas, the investigation into alleged corruption at Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear power operator, which has grown into the largest corruption inquiry of Zelenskyy’s presidency. NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) made the Midas case public in November 2025, following more than a year of investigative work.

Under the Midas allegations, members of a criminal organisation wielded influence over Energoatom contracts while occupying no formal roles within the company. In return for permitting supplier payments to flow, they extracted kickbacks amounting to 10–15 per cent of contract values. NABU estimates that approximately €85 million was laundered through the scheme.

Former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko was charged with money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation. In February, NABU disclosed that sums exceeding $7.4 million, €2.4 million, and 1.3 million Swiss francs tied to the alleged scheme had been transferred or made available to his family. The €3 million at the centre of Forest Gump was, investigators allege, posted as bail on Halushchenko’s behalf.

Dynasty and the Yermak Question

Mindich, who departed Ukraine for Israel in November 2025, has also appeared in a separate inquiry known as Dynasty. There, NABU and SAPO allege that more than €8.8 million was laundered through a luxury residential development on the outskirts of Kyiv, with funds partly traceable to corruption schemes including those at Energoatom. Mindich is identified as an alleged ringleader of the $100 million (€85 million) Midas operation.

The most prominent figure named in Dynasty, however, is Andriy Yermak — Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff and, for years, arguably the most powerful person in the country. Yermak led the President’s Office from 2020 until his departure in 2025, serving as the president’s closest political confidant and playing a central role in domestic governance, diplomacy, and wartime decision-making. In May 2026, NABU and SAPO formally named him a suspect in the Dynasty money-laundering case. A court ordered his detention with the option of €2.7 million bail, which was subsequently paid. Yermak has denied the allegations.

The same Dynasty investigation also drew in former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who occupied several senior government posts under Zelenskyy and has been characterised as a long-time figure within the president’s political orbit.