Zelensky Sacks Deputy Office Head Iryna Mudra After NABU’s New ‘Forrest Gump’ Probe

President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Iryna Mudra, the deputy head of the Presidential Office, on Wednesday following the announcement of a new probe by the country’s anti-graft agencies.On Wednesday morning, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a new probe dubbed “Forrest Gump.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The agencies said the operation targets an alleged “criminal organization” involving a current and a former Ukrainian lawmaker, as well as senior officials from the Presidential Office.Local outlet Ukrainska Pravda, citing its own law enforcement sources, said Mudra’s premises were among those searched during the operation, along with those owned by former lawmaker Vadym Stolar who belonged to the banned, pro-Russian “Opposition – For Life” party.The decree dismissing Mudra was signed and published hours after the probe was made public.Mudra was a lawyer who worked for multiple banks before becoming the deputy justice minister in May 2022. She became the deputy head of the Presidential Office in March 2024 and took part in ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).During the searches, NABU and SAPO also claimed to have uncovered a document containing a crisis communication plan related to the activities of a Verkhovna Rada temporary investigative commission.The agencies have released little information about the new probe, but it is said to be related to the previous probe dubbed “Operation Midas” involving Tymur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelensky, and former energy and justice minister Herman Haluschenko. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine, Belgium Advance Talks on Drone Deal Kyiv and Brussels are negotiating a Drone Deal, as Zelensky praises Belgium’s past support for Ukraine’s air force. Haluschenko and Svitlana Hrynchuk, his former deputy who later took over the energy ministry, were sacked following the Midas probe as both were implicated in a $100 million kickback scheme involving the state nuclear operator, reportedly at Mindich’s behest.Ukrainian outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia said the latest “Forrest Gump” probe also targets lawmaker Maksym Mykytas, representatives of Sense Bank – a bank tied to sanctioned Russian businessmen Mikhail Fridman, Andrey Kosogov, and Petr Aven – and justice ministry officials. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.