Major raid against Ukrainian officials and appointment of a new defense minister

Anti-corruption authorities in Ukraine have launched a major raid against politicians and high-ranking officials. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it was conducting a “special operation to uncover a criminal organization” that was said to have been led by a sitting and a former member of parliament. “High-ranking employees of the Office of the President of Ukraine” and other people are also said to be involved.

MP Vadym Stolar confirmed in a post on Facebook that he was affected by the searches. He wrote that he was cooperating with investigators. Ukrainian media unanimously reported that the investigation would also target Iryna Mudra, a deputy head of the presidential office.

Mudra's dismissal was announced on President Volodymyr Zelensky's website. A reason for this was not given.

In a video on YouTube, anti-corruption authorities announced that they had uncovered a group that allegedly laundered 150 million hryvnia (about 2.9 million euros). A deputy head of the presidential office, a former member of parliament, executives of a state-owned bank and others are involved. The authorities did not give any names.

The money was used to pay bail for a suspect in an earlier corruption case in the energy sector. This case, called “Operation Midas” by the investigators, has been bothering the country for some time.

Parliament has elected a new defense minister

The raids are likely to have increased pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky. There was an important date for Zelensky this Wednesday, but it worked out in his favor: the Ukrainian parliament had to vote on the new defense minister. With the vote, Zelenskyj wants to complete the restructuring of his security cabinet. He proposed Yevhenij Khmara as the new defense minister, who has already held the office on an acting basis since his predecessor, Mykhailo Fedorov, left office. 312 MPs voted for Zelensky's candidate Khmara - significantly more than the minimum 226 votes required.

Fedorov's dismissal led to days of protests in the country. In Kyiv alone, thousands of people took to the streets demanding his reinstatement. Fedorov's resignation was preceded by months of conflict with the army leadership. Fedorov accused him of blocking his reform plans. A few days later, Zelensky also fired army chief Oleksander Syrskyj and replaced him with Fedorov's ally Mychajlo Drapatyj, who was seen as reform-oriented.

Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have stepped up their crackdown on bribery in the state apparatus during the war. This is considered one of the most important prerequisites for Ukraine's desired accession to the European Union.