Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau has released new audio recordings allegedly linking senior figures close to President Volodymyr Zelensky to the unlawful seizure of companies, property and other assets.
The investigation involves Zelensky’s former deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra, Ukrainian MP Vadym Stolar and former MP Maksym Mykytas, with alleged assets worth more than 455 million hryvnias under scrutiny.
NABU releases new recordings
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) published fresh audio recordings on 20 August, alleging that a criminal group involving senior political figures organised the illegal takeover of business assets and real estate.
According to Brussels Signal journalist Carl Deconinck, the recordings allegedly implicate figures who were close to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The investigation centres on suspected corporate raiding, involving the unauthorised seizure of enterprises and property through interference with databases administered by Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice.
NABU said the alleged criminal group included a presidential deputy chief of staff, a sitting member of parliament and a former lawmaker. Law-enforcement sources identified those individuals as Iryna Mudra, Zelensky’s former deputy chief of staff; MP Vadym Stolar; and former MP Maksym Mykytas.
The accusations have not been established in court. The published recordings represent selected excerpts from an ongoing investigation, and the suspects’ legal responses were not included in the report.
Alleged seizure of assets
Investigators reportedly believe that the group used unauthorised interference with Ministry of Justice databases to obtain control of enterprises and other assets.
The alleged activity is said to have taken place in at least two stages. In autumn 2025, the suspects allegedly took control of assets worth more than 248 million hryvnias, equivalent to approximately €5.5 million.
In May 2026, investigators say the group attempted to seize further real estate in Kyiv valued at more than 207 million hryvnias. Taken together, the assets described in the investigation exceed 455 million hryvnias, although the two alleged episodes remain part of the authorities’ wider case and have yet to be adjudicated.
The newly released tapes reportedly contain conversations between the suspects concerning the alleged property seizures. NABU has so far released only selected extracts rather than the complete recordings.
Operation Forrest Gump
The recordings form part of NABU’s Operation “Forrest Gump”, an investigation that began with raids on 19 August.
According to Deconinck’s report for Brussels Signal, investigators searched premises belonging to Mudra and locations associated with other members of the alleged group. The searches were conducted as part of efforts to gather evidence concerning the suspected corporate-raiding operation.
The operation has attracted particular attention because of the political positions previously or currently held by the individuals named by investigators. The alleged involvement of a former senior presidential official and serving and former parliamentarians places the case among the latest corruption investigations to reach prominent figures in Ukraine’s political establishment.
Zelensky dismisses Iryna Mudra
On the same day as the raids, President Zelensky dismissed Iryna Mudra from her position as deputy chief of staff.
The report states that Mudra had also been charged with money laundering in connection with an earlier alleged scheme involving bail money. Investigators reportedly accuse her of involvement in an effort to raise 150 million hryvnias in bail for a suspect in the major Energoatom corruption case
The report does not state that Mudra has been convicted in either case. Her dismissal and the criminal proceedings are separate from any final determination of guilt, which would have to be made by a Ukrainian court.
Mudra’s former role has added significance to the investigation because the alleged corporate-raiding scheme is described as involving access to state systems and the seizure of commercial assets. The case therefore raises questions about whether political influence or insider access may have been used to interfere with official ownership and registration records.
Other figures named in the case
Vadym Stolar, a sitting member of Ukraine’s parliament, was identified by law-enforcement sources as one of the alleged participants in the criminal group.
The investigation also names Maksym Mykytas, a former member of parliament. According to Brussels Signal, Mykytas has previously faced criminal proceedings in several cases. He was charged in two embezzlement cases, in 2019 and 2023, and in a bribery case in 2022.
Those earlier charges form part of Mykytas’s reported legal history and should not be treated as proof of the allegations contained in the current investigation. The new NABU recordings are being examined as evidence in the alleged asset-seizure scheme.
The report did not provide detailed statements from Stolar, Mykytas or Mudra responding to the latest accusations. It also did not indicate whether the accused individuals had been convicted or whether the court had made final findings in relation to the new allegations.
Wider corruption concerns in Ukraine
The latest revelations add to a series of high-level corruption investigations that have reached individuals connected to Zelensky’s administration and Ukraine’s political establishment.
As reported by Carl Deconinck of Brussels Signal, the investigations have renewed questions about wartime governance and the effectiveness of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions.
Ukraine has continued to face pressure to strengthen the rule of law, protect public institutions from political interference and improve safeguards surrounding state databases and property registration. Allegations that Ministry of Justice systems were manipulated to seize private companies and real estate could intensify scrutiny of those safeguards.
At the same time, the public release of the recordings demonstrates that NABU is pursuing cases involving politically influential figures. The investigation may therefore be viewed both as evidence of continuing corruption risks and as a test of the independence and capacity of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies.
What the recordings show
NABU’s recordings reportedly contain discussions between the suspects about the alleged seizures of property and business assets.
However, the bureau has released only selected excerpts. Without the full recordings, their complete context, sequence and meaning cannot be independently assessed from the information available in the Brussels Signal report.
The excerpts are expected to form part of the evidence considered by investigators and prosecutors. The strength of the case will ultimately depend on the authenticity and context of the recordings, supporting documentary evidence, database records, financial trails and testimony presented during legal proceedings.
The allegations also involve events dating back to autumn 2025 and May 2026. Investigators will need to establish who authorised or carried out the database interference, how ownership was transferred, which assets were targeted and whether the accused individuals knowingly participated in an organised criminal scheme.
Legal and political significance
The case carries both legal and political implications for Ukraine.
Legally, the central allegations concern the unauthorised manipulation of official databases, unlawful seizure of companies and real estate, money laundering and possible participation in an organised criminal group. Each allegation must be proven according to Ukrainian criminal-procedure rules.
Politically, the investigation reaches into the president’s former inner circle at a time when Ukraine is conducting wartime governance under exceptional pressure. Allegations involving senior officials can affect public confidence, investor perceptions and international assessments of Ukraine’s reform commitments.
The case may also test the government’s willingness to allow anti-corruption bodies to investigate people connected to the presidency. Mudra’s dismissal following the raids suggests that the allegations have already produced an immediate administrative consequence, although dismissal itself does not establish criminal responsibility.
Investigation remains ongoing
NABU’s release of the audio recordings does not conclude the investigation. The bureau has published only selected excerpts, while searches, evidence collection and legal proceedings continue.
The alleged value of the assets under investigation exceeds 455 million hryvnias across the episodes described in the report. Authorities will still need to clarify whether the alleged seizures were completed, reversed or prevented, and whether other people or organisations were involved.
Further developments could include additional charges, the release of more recordings, court decisions on procedural measures and statements from the accused or their lawyers.
For now, the case remains an allegation-led criminal investigation. Mudra, Stolar and Mykytas are entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence unless and until a court establishes their guilt.
