- 25 августа, 2026
- 12:04 пп
- В Мире
The former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Iryna Mudra, was taken into custody on charges of laundering millions. Anton Pshedynsky investigated why the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv vouched for her, who in her family lives in Israel, and what charges the investigation actually brought.
Author: Anton Pshedynsky
On August 25, 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine took the former deputy head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, into custody for 60 days. The court allowed her to be released after posting bail of 20 million hryvnias — approximately 1.34 million shekels or $447,000.
The prosecution demanded bail of 150 million hryvnias — about 10 million shekels or $3.36 million. The court reduced the requested amount by seven and a half times but refused to leave the former official free on personal recognizance.
An unexpected participant in the session was the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, Yonatan Binyamin Markovich. He personally came to court and stated that he was ready to vouch for Mudra’s compliance with procedural obligations.
Why did the rabbi vouch for one of the central figures in a major anti-corruption investigation?
I compared court materials, declarations, Mudra’s official trips, and an interview she gave seven months before the searches. It turned out that Markovich was not a random guest in court: he has long been acquainted with the family of the former official, installed a mezuzah in her office, and welcomed her in the Kyiv Jewish community.
Mudra also has a direct family connection to Israel. Her mother lives in Rishon LeZion, her daughter is an Israeli citizen and speaks Hebrew fluently, and Mudra herself kept a significant amount in an Israeli bank. However, reports in Ukrainian media about her having her own Israeli passport have not been officially confirmed.
Why exactly was Iryna Mudra taken into custody
In this story, a search confusion has already arisen. Some readers ask, «why was Iryna Mudra arrested,» others — «does Mudra have Israeli citizenship» and «why did the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv vouch for her.» These questions are linked by one biography but legally relate to completely different things: Israel explains the rabbi’s appearance in court, while the basis for the criminal case was alleged banking operations, influence on officials, and attempts to hide evidence.
On August 19, searches were conducted at Mudra’s place, and a notice of suspicion was handed over. She was not detained then. The former official remained free, attended sessions on her own, and declared her readiness to cooperate with the investigation.
Only on August 25 did the High Anti-Corruption Court choose detention with the possibility of bail. The court’s decision was reported by RBC-Ukraine.
This is a preventive measure during the investigation, not a sentence. The court has not yet decided whether Mudra is guilty of money laundering or raiding.
Who is Mudra and why was her position so important
Iryna Mudra is 51 years old. She spent a significant part of her career in the banking sector, working at Pravex Bank, Swedbank, and the state-owned Oschadbank. In May 2022, she became Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, and in March 2024, she moved to the Office of the President.
For the Israeli reader, it is important to understand that the Office of the President of Ukraine is not a small personal secretariat of Volodymyr Zelensky. It is an influential administrative-political center coordinating a significant part of the state’s internal and external policies.
Mudra was responsible for legal policy, judicial reform, interaction with the Ministry of Justice, work with international courts, the creation of a tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression, and the mechanism for obtaining compensation from Russia.
She was not a public politician at the ministerial level but had access to people who make decisions in the judicial and law enforcement systems. The investigation believes that her banking experience, official influence, and contacts in the Ministry of Justice made Mudra useful for the alleged criminal organization.
On August 19, Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed her immediately after the searches. Later, the president stated that the published recordings of conversations were enough for a personnel decision, although he considers it incorrect to discuss the guilt of the former subordinate before a court verdict.
What are NABU, SAP, and HACC
The case is being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
NABU is an independent investigative body dealing with corruption among top officials, deputies, judges, and heads of state enterprises. For the Israeli reader, the closest but legally inaccurate reference might be a unit like «Lahav 433»: the tasks are partially similar, but the powers and subordination differ.
SAP is a special prosecutor’s office whose prosecutors accompany NABU investigations and support the prosecution in court.
HACC is the High Anti-Corruption Court, created specifically to consider such cases. It was this court that took Mudra into custody.
The main monetary episode is qualified under part 3 of article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — legalization of property obtained by criminal means, by an organized group, or in especially large amounts. In the case of a guilty verdict, this article provides for 8 to 12 years of imprisonment, confiscation of property, and a ban on holding certain positions.
How the bail for the former minister turned into a new criminal case
The central episode is related to Herman Halushchenko — the former Minister of Energy and then Minister of Justice of Ukraine. He became a figure in another NABU investigation called «Midas.»
In the summer of 2026, the court reduced Halushchenko’s bail from 200 to 150 million hryvnias. According to the investigation, after this, a group of officials, former deputies, businessmen, and bank employees began collecting cash and looking for a way to present it as legitimate company money.
From June 22 to 24, cash was allegedly brought in bags and boxes to the Kyiv office of the company «Metrobud,» associated with former deputy and developer Maksym Mykytas.
The investigation restored four batches:
- 50 million hryvnias;
- another 10 million;
- 70 million;
- the last 20 million.
The money was transferred to the so-called conversion center. This is a network of companies and entrepreneurs through whose accounts cash is turned into formally non-cash payments, disguising them as payment for goods, services, or loan repayments.
According to the materials of one of the court rulings, only the account of the company «Hiran Contract» received 72.089 million hryvnias in a few days. For this, 137 operations were conducted from 68 companies and individuals — entrepreneurs.
An individual entrepreneur, or FOP, is a Ukrainian form of working in one’s own name without creating a separate company. The closest Israeli reference is עצמאי, for example, osek patur or osek murshe, although legally these systems are not identical.
Another 40.1 million hryvnias, according to the investigation, were conducted through «Vostoktranslogistics» under the guise of loans.
Who transferred 150 million to the court’s account
In the end, the bail for Halushchenko was posted by four companies:
- «Hiran Contract» — 87 million hryvnias;
- «Tetras Optima» — 54 million;
- «Skyt Retail» — 5 million;
- «Pelet Service» — 4 million.
The total amount was exactly 150 million hryvnias.
Here I found an important inaccuracy that is already spreading in publications. It is sometimes claimed that all the money went through the state Sense Bank. This is not true.
Of the 87 million transferred by «Hiran Contract,» 46 million went through Sense Bank, and another 41 million through PUMB, another large Ukrainian bank. The movement of funds is detailed in a material based on a court ruling.
Therefore, the exact wording is: the state Sense Bank was used for part of the operations, but not the entire bail.
What role does the investigation attribute to Mudra
NABU does not claim that Mudra personally carried bags of cash or transferred all the money from her bank account.
According to the accusation, her role was to use her position, banking experience, and contacts. The investigation believes that unnamed public figures from the Office of the President instructed her to help with posting bail and establishing informal control over the management of the state Sense Bank.
Sense Bank is the former Ukrainian «Alfa-Bank.» After the full-scale Russian invasion and the imposition of sanctions against former Russian owners Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, the bank was nationalized in 2023. It now belongs to the state, represented by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.
In one of the recordings, Maksym Mykytas explains to Mudra the alleged mechanism for conducting payments: «The girl will press the button there when needed.» In response, a female voice asks when the money can be brought.
According to NABU, the bank’s management was supposed to create a «manual window» so that payments from related companies would not be stopped by financial monitoring — a system for checking operations for possible money laundering.
For NANews — News of Israel, the boundary between what can be verified with documents and the interpretation of conversations is crucial here. The companies’ transfers to the court’s account did indeed exist. But whether Mudra understood the criminal origin of the money and managed the passage of payments — this still needs to be proven by the prosecution.
Why the case is significantly broader than bank transfers
«Forrest Gump» is not only a story about bail for a former minister. The investigation materials describe an alleged criminal organization, which, according to NABU and SAP, was led by former deputy Maksym Mykytas and current deputy Vadym Stolar.
Mykytas is a former president of the construction corporation «Ukrbud» and a long-time figure in Ukrainian criminal cases. Stolar is a parliament deputy, previously representing the pro-Russian party OPZZh, and an influential participant in the Kyiv real estate market.
The investigation claims that the group tried to gain control over enterprises and expensive buildings using:
- fake court documents;
- hacker interference in state registers;
- fictitious owners and directors;
- contacts in the Ministry of Justice;
- pressure on judges, prosecutors, and officials.
Among the targets are companies «Philosophy of Development,» «Budmontazhservice 1,» «Regional Resources,» and the major contractor «Ukrhydroenerhobud.»
The investigation believes that in October 2025, hackers, posing as state registrars, changed the ownership information of two enterprises. After that, the companies were registered to people from Mykytas’s entourage, including his driver and bodyguard.
What Mudra is attributed to in raiding episodes
The investigation attributes to Mudra the use of influence on the Ministry of Justice.
When the legitimate owners of «Philosophy of Development» began to challenge the change of ownership, Mudra allegedly advised Mykytas on whom from the Ministry of Justice leadership to talk to for a «correct» decision.
The accusation claims that she knew about the use of hackers and gave instructions on which person should appear in the state register as the new owner.
Another episode concerns the company «Regional Resources,» which owned several expensive buildings in the center of Kyiv. The investigation states that Mykytas planned to use a fake court decision, and Mudra was supposed to influence familiar officials of the Ministry of Justice.
In one of the recordings read to the court, a female voice says: «If Ferens kept everything I wrote to her, I’m finished.» The conversation presumably referred to Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Ferens.
However, later Mudra told Mykytas that she did not know about the plan to forge the court decision. This remark is important for the defense, as it shows a possible discrepancy between the actions of other figures and what she herself knew.
The detailed version of the prosecution, the position of the participants, and the content of the recordings are compared in an analysis by Babel.
Legally, caution is necessary. In open reports, the article on money laundering is named concerning the monetary episode. Raiding, influence on the Ministry of Justice, and participation in a criminal organization are described as Mudra’s alleged role in a large investigation. It cannot be automatically asserted that she has already been charged with each article of the entire case.
Where did the prosecution get the asset valuation of 250 million
SAP prosecutor Vitaliy Hrechishkin stated that Mudra might have assets worth more than 250 million hryvnias — about 16.7 million shekels or $5.6 million.
The accusation considered declared real estate, bank accounts, securities, cars, and jewelry, as well as property that the prosecution considers undeclared.
In court, a conversation was read in which Mykytas allegedly said he left Mudra almost $4 million. The prosecutor also mentioned alleged payments of $20–30 thousand per month.
A separate line concerns the daughter of the former official. According to SAP, Mykytas promised to pay for her education and living in the USA — up to $250,000 a year. These arguments of the prosecution are cited by RBC-Ukraine.
Neither the $4 million, nor the monthly payments, nor the payment for education have yet been recognized by the court as proven illegal income of Mudra. The prosecution used these amounts to justify the suspect’s financial capabilities and the bail of 150 million hryvnias.
The court agreed on the need for detention but set bail at 20 million.
Why the prosecution feared escape and destruction of evidence
SAP named several procedural risks.
The first is a possible departure from Ukraine. The accusation refers to Mudra’s relatives abroad, her financial capabilities, and alleged contacts among employees of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
The second is the destruction or concealment of evidence. In the read conversations, foreign numbers, SIM card replacement, phone cleaning, and the secure messenger Threema were discussed.
In one episode, Mykytas tells Mudra: «Tear it up, hide it somewhere. And Threema needs to be deleted and reinstalled.»
The investigation claims that in the spring, group members expected searches, checked premises for listening devices, and deleted information. According to SAP, Mudra moved a suitcase with jewelry to another place and discussed how to hide a Range Rover and the actual place of residence from lifestyle monitoring.
The third risk is influencing witnesses, Ministry of Justice employees, law enforcement officers, and judges. The accusation referred to conversations about Mudra’s contacts in the Supreme Court and her ability to help Mykytas in other processes.
It was the combination of these alleged risks that formed the basis for the demand for pre-trial detention. Having a mother in Israel is not in itself a crime or evidence of preparing to escape.
What Rabbi Markovich actually proposed
On August 24, Yonatan Binyamin Markovich — the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, a Chabad emissary, and head of the Jewish center «Beit Menachem» — came to court.
Markovich stated that he has known Mudra for several years. According to him, she attended the community to pray and «stay connected with the Almighty.» The rabbi expressed confidence that the former official would attend court and «not let down the community, nor me, nor the state.» His speech from the courtroom was described by Channel 24.
Personal surety in the Ukrainian criminal process does not mean that the rabbi was going to post 150 million hryvnias instead of Mudra.
According to article 180 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, a surety undertakes in writing to monitor the suspect’s compliance with court requirements and ensure her appearance. If the court trusts the surety, such a measure can replace arrest or bail.
The court heard Markovich but chose detention.
The second surety wanted to be military serviceman Serhiy Kovalenko. He previously worked with Mudra in the banking sector and reported that she helped the military unit in which he now serves.
The most important detail was found in an interview before the criminal case
Markovich’s statement could have remained an ordinary surety speech if not for an interview with Mudra, recorded on January 19, 2026 — seven months before the searches and court.
It was conducted by David Fishman, a professor of Jewish history at the Jewish Theological Seminary and head of a program studying Jewish archives in Ukraine.
In this interview, Mudra herself recounted that Markovich came to her office. They talked about Israel, after which the rabbi noted that there was no mezuzah on the door.
During the next visit, Markovich brought a mezuzah and performed the appropriate ritual. According to Mudra, the rabbi and his wife, Rebbetzin Inna, continued to visit her from time to time after that.
Mudra’s family, as she claims, celebrates all Jewish holidays.
This interview shows that Markovich vouched not for an official he met before the meeting. Their relationship existed long before the ‘Forrest Gump’ investigation.
But the rabbi’s vouching only confirms acquaintance and personal trust. It is not a conclusion about the legality of banking operations or Mudra’s innocence.
Jewish roots and a family lost during the Holocaust
In an interview with Fishman, Mudra publicly identified herself as Jewish.
Her maternal grandmother was named Basya Gershonovna Strasser, and her great-grandfather, according to Mudra, was a rabbi. The grandmother’s parents, brothers, and sisters were killed during the Holocaust in a place she called the ‘local Babi Yar.’
The grandmother survived because she served on the front in 1941. Mudra recounted that in her Soviet childhood, she was forbidden to speak about the family’s Jewish origin: it could create problems for relatives.
Regarding her attitude towards the country, she said very directly: ‘I consider the people of Israel to be my people as well.’
Her participation in Jewish life is also confirmed by public events. On April 29, 2025, Mudra spoke at the AJC Global Forum in New York and thanked the American Jewish Committee for helping Ukraine. Her speech is confirmed by the official website of the President of Ukraine.
In August, she participated in events marking the decade of the Jewish settlement Anatevka, associated with Rabbi Moshe Asman. In January 2026, she attended a ceremony commemorating Holocaust victims at Babi Yar, and in the spring — Purim and Passover celebrations in the Markovich community.
Do not confuse the two rabbis. Markovich heads the Kyiv Chabad community ‘Beit Menachem.’ Moshe Asman is associated with the Central Synagogue of Kyiv and Anatevka and also uses the title of Chief Rabbi of Ukraine. Several major Jewish religious structures operate in the country simultaneously.
Mother in Rishon LeZion and daughter — an Israeli citizen
The most direct family connection of Mudra with Israel is confirmed by her own words.
In 1999, Mudra’s mother applied for repatriation and moved to Israel. She now lives in Rishon LeZion.
Mudra’s daughter moved to Israel at the age of 13 and graduated from high school there. She has Israeli citizenship and speaks Hebrew fluently. Later, the girl enrolled at the University of South Florida in the USA.
Mudra recounted that her daughter publicly supported Israel and wore a badge of solidarity with Israeli hostages.
Thus, the mention by the prosecutor’s office of close relatives abroad has specific content: the mother lives in Israel, and the daughter studies in the USA and is an Israeli citizen.
Does Mudra herself have Israeli citizenship
Since 2024, Ukrainian publications have claimed that Mudra allegedly has an Israeli passport. Some sites even provided a supposed document number.
I found no official confirmation: no statements from Israeli authorities, no verified copy of the passport, no published response from the Office of the President of Ukraine.
For NANews — Israel News, this is a fundamental check, as Jewish origin, the right to repatriation, and already acquired citizenship are three different legal circumstances.
The following is confirmed: Mudra’s mother repatriated and lives in Rishon LeZion, and her daughter is an Israeli citizen. Mudra’s own Israeli citizenship remains an unconfirmed media version.
Writing that she is an Israeli citizen as an established fact is not permissible.
An Israeli account does not prove the presence of a passport
Mudra officially had a bank account at Tel Aviv’s Bank Leumi.
In her 2022 declaration, she indicated $224,466 and 24,671 shekels in it. The bank and its Tel Aviv address are directly named in Mudra’s electronic declaration.
In the 2025 declaration, 765,267 shekels — approximately $250,000 — are indicated in a foreign bank account. The amount can be seen in the published declaration data.
A bank account in Israel does not prove the presence of Israeli citizenship. It is also not in itself a sign of a crime: the money was declared to the Ukrainian state.
For the prosecutor’s office, this account is important for another reason — as part of assessing Mudra’s financial capabilities and potential ability to live outside Ukraine.
At least two official trips to Israel
In open sources, at least two official visits of Mudra to Israel have been confirmed.
On December 3, 2025, Mudra was part of a government delegation at the opening of the first monument to the victims of the Holodomor in Israel. The monument was installed in Jerusalem’s Wohl Rose Garden near the Knesset and the Supreme Court. The composition of the delegation is confirmed by the National Holodomor Museum.
During this trip, Ukraine and Israel resumed the work of a joint commission on trade and economic cooperation after a four-year break.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Mudra called the Jewish principle tikkun olam — repairing the world — her motto and invited Israeli companies to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
On July 5, 2026, she was again in Jerusalem, this time heading the Ukrainian delegation. Mudra met with Deputy Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yuval Fuchs and Minister Zeev Elkin.
The parties discussed defense technologies, sanctions, trade, investments, the reconstruction of Ukraine, and preparations for the 85th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy. Mudra proposed that Israel consider joining the international compensation system for Ukraine for damage from Russian aggression. NANews has already detailed this trip.
During the July visit, she again laid flowers at the Holodomor monument, which she helped open in December 2025 — seven months earlier.
What the defense is based on
Mudra denies involvement in laundering 150 million hryvnias and a criminal organization.
Her lawyers claim that the prosecutor’s office takes separate remarks out of lengthy private conversations. According to Mudra, out of 237 episodes, 232 were recorded through the microphone of a person she trusted and with whom she had a close relationship.
The defense points out that the investigation did not show Mudra receiving 150 million, signing fictitious contracts, or personally transferring money to the court’s account.
Separate statements about $4 million, payments, and financing of the daughter belong to Mikitas. The mere fact that one person spoke about transferring money does not yet prove its receipt by another.
Mudra also points out that after the searches, she did not hide, did not try to leave Ukraine, and voluntarily appeared in court.
Lawyers claim that Mikitas could have pressured her and recorded conversations without her knowledge. Some recordings used to describe her alleged role were made without Mudra’s participation at all.
What has already been established and what still needs to be proven
It has been established that 150 million hryvnias indeed went to the court’s account as bail for Herman Galushchenko. The companies that transferred the money and the banks through which the payments passed are known.
It has been established that Mudra spoke with Mikitas, had significant experience in the banking sector, and held a position related to judicial and legal policy.
Her Jewish roots, relationship with Rabbi Markovich, mother in Rishon LeZion, daughter’s Israeli citizenship, bank account, and official trips to Israel are confirmed.
But it has not yet been established by a court verdict that Mudra knew the criminal origin of the money, directed the payments, received millions from Mikitas, or was part of a criminal organization.
The presence of her own Israeli citizenship is also not confirmed.
This division does not allow turning a complex investigation either into a guilty verdict before the court or into a story about a completely innocent official pursued solely because of someone else’s conversations.
A Jewish biography is neither an accusation nor a justification
Mudra’s Jewish roots, daughter with Israeli citizenship, mother in Rishon LeZion, mezuzah in the office, and participation in community life explain why Rabbi Markovich knows her and agreed to vouch for her.
These circumstances do not prove the NABU accusations. But they also cannot serve as automatic justification.
It is incorrect to turn the case of an individual official into a plot about ‘Jewish influence’ on Ukrainian power. The investigation concerns specific banking operations, alleged interference in state registers, contacts with officials, and the content of recorded conversations — not the ethnic origin of the suspect.
The main question now is not why Iryna Mudra is connected with Israel. This part of her biography is well confirmed.
The court must establish something else: whether she used her position and banking connections to legalize money and seize enterprises or whether the investigation compiled her alleged ‘criminal role’ from Mikitas’s statements, others’ actions, and out-of-context remarks.
So far, there is only a preventive measure: 60 days in custody with the possibility of posting 20 million hryvnias. There is no guilty verdict, and the presumption of innocence continues to apply.