“Forest Gump” operation reaches Zelensky’s office — deputy head Iryna Mudra dismissed
Zelensky dismissed Iryna Mudra after NABU raids tied her to an alleged corruption ring and UAH 150 million in cash.
President Volodymyr Zelensky today removed Iryna Mudra from her post as deputy head of the Office of the President amid an investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing, the presidential website shows.
The National Anti‑Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) earlier searched locations linked to Mudra as part of an operation codenamed "Forest Gump." NABU said the action uncovered an alleged criminal organisation that involved senior officials from the Presidential Office as well as current and former members of parliament.
NABU says cash and shell companies were used to launder proceeds
NABU described the probe as "an operation to dismantle high‑level corruption." According to the bureau, "the case involves 150 million Ukrainian hryvnia in cash, which, investigators say, were transferred through accounts of several fictitious companies, introduced into the legitimate financial system and used to pay bail for one of the participants in the criminal organisation in the 'Midas' case."
Multiple media outlets and Member of Parliament Oleksii Honcharenko reported that the funds were used to post bail for former energy minister German Galushchenko. NABU said the alleged group "acted under the leadership of current and former Ukrainian MPs" and included high‑ranking officials from the Presidential Office, without naming the other suspects.
Mudra served as a deputy justice minister from 2022 to 2024 in the government of Denys Maliuska and joined the Office of the President in March 2024. The dismissal follows the raids and the joint description of the probe by NABU and the Specialized Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor's Office as an effort to break up high‑level corruption.
The investigation is ongoing and the presidential decree removing Mudra was published on the Office of the President's official website. The case adds pressure on the presidential administration as prosecutors and investigators continue their work.
Photo: EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
