Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies announced Wednesday that they were investigating senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, a day after the country's recently fired defence minister called for national elections despite the ongoing fight against Russia's invasion, CBC reports.
The political drama is an unwelcome distraction for Zelenskyy as Ukraine's war with its bigger neighbour extends into its fifth 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.
Further details would be released later, the statement said.
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 brought another test of Zelenskyy's political 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.
Zelenskyy is already under pressure over his firing last month of Defence 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.
Ukraine's parliament approved the appointment of Yevhenii Khmara as new defence minister on Wednesday. Zelenskyy nominated Khmara, whom he had earlier appointed as acting minister, after the ousting of Fedorov in July.
The appointment was backed by 312 lawmakers, with 226 needed for a majority.
