Independence Day in Kyiv overshadowed by corruption scandal in Zelenskyy’s circle

Ukraine's Independence Day celebrations on August 24, 2026 were overshadowed by a widening corruption scandal tied to members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's circle, after anti‑corruption bodies released names of suspects and fresh audio recordings.

New allegations centre on a former energy minister and a large bail payment

Investigators have named several people they consider suspects, including the former deputy head of the presidential office, Iryna Mudra, who had already been dismissed by Zelenskyy. Prosecutors and anti‑corruption agencies are also publishing audio material they say implicates those under investigation.

At the heart of the affair stands former energy minister Herman Halushchenko, who was jailed in February and at one point attempted to leave the country despite ongoing probes. Authorities have accused him of involvement in the embezzlement of more than 110 million US dollars in the energy sector.

The latest strand of the investigation focuses on the court‑set bail that allowed Halushchenko to leave pre‑trial detention a few months ago — an amount of almost three million euros. According to the accusations, those funds came from illegal sources and were "laundered" through a state bank.

Journalist Mykhailo Tkach of Ukrainska Pravda reflected on the impact of the revelations: "We thank the anti‑corruption institutions NABU and SAP for the new attempt to free our state system from corrupt politicians." He added a sombre note about life in Ukraine: "And in the evening we endure another Russian missile attack."

Opposition figures have directly accused President Zelenskyy. Yaroslav Zheleznyak of the opposition party Holos said: "I think the version of events that, among others, was published by the newspaper 'Dzerkalo Tyzhnia' is accurate." He claimed Halushchenko, "after four and a half months in pre‑trial detention, threatened to expose all the other actors. I remind you that of the offshore accounts in question, only ten million US dollars are registered under his name. Who holds the remaining 100 million is not known." Zheleznyak also alleged that panic inside the presidency led Zelenskyy to order his chief of staff to obtain the funds for Halushchenko's bail.

President Zelenskyy has not publicly responded to the new accusations, and criticism has mounted from multiple directions. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi has instructed the Ministry of Finance to privatize the state‑owned Sens Bank, with proceeds earmarked for defence spending. Anti‑corruption investigators are also probing senior employees at the bank.

Coinciding with the unfolding scandal, Ukraine marked the 35th anniversary of its independence. Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. Foreign leaders gathered in Kyiv for the anniversary events and a meeting of the so‑called Coalition of the Prepared, which organisers said would include around a dozen in‑person participants and several others joining virtually. The talks, organised by new British prime minister Andy Barnham, German chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and French president Emmanuel Macron, are due to coordinate further sanctions on Russia and security guarantees for Kyiv.

In recent weeks Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for an urgent delivery of Patriot missiles, saying Ukraine's reserves are depleted and pointing to ongoing Russian ballistic strikes on Kyiv and other cities. He warned that the Ukrainian Armed Forces face a shortfall of 27 billion US dollars and urged the European Union to accelerate disbursements from a 90 billion euro loan so the gap can be closed this year; without roughly ten billion dollars more by year‑end, he said, the military will lack sufficient weaponry.

Photo: press material from the event