The Independent World
· collected 2026-08-19 · by Hanna Arhirova and Barry Hatton
Story summary
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office is being investigated for corruption by Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies, who are probing a criminal organization allegedly led by a sitting and former lawmaker, involving senior officials from the presidential office and other individuals. This comes a day after Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's recently fired defense minister, called for national elections in a video address posted to YouTube, despite the ongoing war with Russia. Fedorov's ouster had sparked weeks of protests across the country, criticizing the removal of the widely respected minister. The investigation is an unwelcome distraction for Zelenskyy as Ukraine's war with its bigger neighbor extends into its fifth year.
Fedorov, 35, who was credited with turning the tide of the war in Ukraine, had helped design the country's strategy to bring an end to the conflict by using drones and robots. His removal had sent thousands of protesters onto the streets in rare wartime protests demanding that Zelenskyy reinstate him.
The investigation into Zelenskyy's office is being conducted by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, who are conducting an operation to expose a criminal organization allegedly led by a sitting and former lawmaker. Further details would be released later, according to their joint statement.
Zelenskyy made no public comment on the investigation but issued a decree dismissing Iryna Mudra from the position of deputy head of the president's office. The investigation is seen as a significant development in Ukraine's ongoing battle against corruption and comes at a time when Zelenskyy is facing pressure to hold wartime elections, which are prohibited during martial law under Ukraine's constitution.
Fedorov had called for a "legal, safe and realistic mechanism" that would allow Ukraine to renew its full democratic process even in the conditions of a long war. His statement was seen as a direct challenge to Zelenskyy, who has refused to hold elections in wartime, citing the need for a ceasefire with Russia and necessary security guarantees.
The situation is complex and politically charged, with some observers saying that elections are not feasible at this moment, while others argue that Ukraine needs democratic reforms to continue its fight against corruption and Russian aggression.
Written for “Ukraine Ongoing Government Crisis” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 14 other(s) covering the same event.
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies announced Wednesday that they are investigating senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, a day after the country’s recently fired defense minister called for national elections despite the ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion.
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minister → announce → invasion
The political drama was an unwelcome distraction for Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s war with its bigger neighbor extends into its fifth year.
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war → extend → year
Investigators are conducting an operation to expose a criminal organization allegedly led by a sitting and a former lawmaker, involving senior officials from the presidential office and other individuals, according to a joint statement from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
uncertain
Investigators → conduct → Bureau
Further details would be released later, the agencies said in a joint statement.
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agencies → release → statement
The revelation brought another test of Zelenskyy’s political resilience.
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revelation → bring → resilience
Last year, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak resigned and was later named as a suspect in a major graft probe in the biggest threat to Zelenskyy’s government since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
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chief → resign → February
Zelenskyy is already under pressure over his firing last month of defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, one of the longest-standing members of his team and a close ally since he helped Zelenskyy win the 2019 presidential election.
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Zelenskyy → stand → election
Zelenskyy, seeking to reconcile tensions between the defense ministry's young and tech-savvy innovators and Ukraine's seasoned, Soviet-trained battlefield leaders, risked angering both sides by reshuffling his wartime leadership.
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Zelenskyy → seek → leadership
He ousted both Fedorov, whose changes to military procurement aimed to stamp out corruption, and commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.
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changes → oust → chief
The move sparked days of street protests in support of Fedorov.
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move → spark → Fedorov
For Zelenskyy, it was the second time in a year that a wartime decision triggered a strong public backlash, after he moved in mid-2025 to curb the powers of anti-corruption agencies.
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he → trigger → agencies
Fedorov, in a video address posted to YouTube late Tuesday, called for elections to be held in Ukraine in a bombshell statement that appeared to directly confront Zelenskyy, who says a ballot can't be held under the martial law that is currently in place due to the war.
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war → post → place
“We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war,” Fedorov said.
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Fedorov → find → war
He said Ukraine is facing a systemic crisis in how it is governed, arguing that the current system is oriented toward protecting itself and resisting change.
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system → say → change
He also condemned corruption among officials without naming anyone, saying it had weakened Ukraine’s ability to fight the war.
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it → condemn → war
Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately comment on Fedorov’s address.
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office → comment → address
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has balked at negotiating a peace deal directly with Zelenskyy, says the Ukrainian president is an illegitimate leader because his term expired in 2024.
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term → balk → 2024
Fedorov published his speech hours after Ukraine’s Parliament received a submission from Zelenskyy nominating Yevhenii Khmara as the new defense minister.
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Parliament → publish → minister
Lawmakers were due to debate the president's candidate on Wednesday.
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Lawmakers → debate → Wednesday
Domestic political noise comes after Ukrainian successes in the war
The political disarray comes after recent successes in the war for Ukraine.
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disarray → come → Ukraine
Using its innovative drone technology, it has repeatedly hit Russian oil facilities, causing fuel shortages.
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it → use → shortages
It has also shocked the Russian public by striking warehouses of Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, and stalled front-line advances by Russia's bigger army.
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It → shock → army
But Zelenskyy has been unable to get traction in U.S.-led peace efforts, and Ukraine is at the mercy of Russia's ballistic missiles because more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors aren't available due to low international stockpiles.
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interceptors → get → stockpiles
In its latest strike on oil facilities, a drone hit an oil refinery in Ufa in Russia's Bashkortostan, its Gov. Radiy Khabirov was quoted as saying by Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.
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Khabirov → hit → agency
The city of Ufa is located roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) east of the border with Ukraine.
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city → locate → Ukraine
There are three oil refineries in Ufa, and all three have been attacked before.
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three → be → Ufa
Russian air defenses overnight intercepted 453 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Wednesday.
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Ministry → intercept → Moscow
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a Russian drone attacked a minibus in the southern Kherson region on Wednesday morning, killing four people, said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration.
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Prokudin → attack → administration
Four women were also wounded in the strike and were hospitalized, he said.
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he → wound → strike
Also, a Russian drone struck a civilian car in Kherson city, the region's capital, on Wednesday, killing a woman, said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration.
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Prokudin → strike → administration
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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.
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Hatton → report → Lisbon
