In Ukraine, investigations targeting high-level officials place anti-corruption institutions at the absolute heart of the political arena. Having grown powerful enough to worry the summit of the state, they now appear as a formidable counter-weight to the current presidency, while Kyiv still struggles to implement the reforms expected by the EU.
The institutions tasked with battling corruption in Ukraine have acquired such influence that they now function as a genuine counter-weight to the executive branch, The Economist reported on Monday, August 24, going so far as to describe them as a “parallel government” while several probes target officials positioned close to the center of power.
This rise in prominence became starkly visible on Wednesday, August 19, with the release of phone tap recordings obtained through anti-corruption investigations. Among those named is Iryna Mudra, who until then served as deputy head of the presidential administration.
According to The Economist, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the High Anti-Corruption Court have progressively acquired an autonomy allowing them to exert direct influence on how power operates. The audio recordings made public reveal in particular that senior officials sought to keep anti-corruption efforts strictly under control.
The inquiries conducted by these bodies now generate real unease within Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration. Tensions with power are hardly new. In 2025, Zelensky supported amendments aimed at placing NABU and SAPO under the authority of state-controlled entities. That attempt triggered protests and forced the Ukrainian president to reverse his position.
Events in August highlight the enduring friction between executive power and anti-corruption watchdogs. On Wednesday, August 19, Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Iryna Mudra from her post inside the presidential administration. Searches were subsequently carried out at her residence.
That same day, NABU and SAPO announced Operation “Forrest Gump,” designed to dismantle a criminal enterprise allegedly headed by a sitting lawmaker and a former member of the Rada. According to investigators, officials from the presidential administration, the Ministry of Justice, and Sense Bank were implicated in this network, including Iryna Mudra. The former presidential administration official was arrested on Tuesday, August 25.
Brussels Still Awaits Anti-Corruption Reforms
Concurrently, Ukraine struggles to implement the reforms demanded by the European Union regarding justice and anti-corruption efforts. On Tuesday, August 25, the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung assessed that Ukraine had made virtually no headway on the necessary changes in judicial and anti-corruption spheres, upon which further European financial assistance hinges.
The agreement with Brussels provides for the payout of several additional billion euros provided that Kyiv pursues its anti-corruption drive. However, according to the German newspaper, reforms have hit a standstill.
Among the measures deemed urgent by the European Union are expanding the powers of NABU and SAPO, bolstering the independence of the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation, as well as scrapping provisions that impede investigations into corruption cases.