Zelenskyy fires a top aide amid a graft probe as Ukraine's ex-defense minister demands elections
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired one of his most senior aides on Wednesday as corruption investigators named a deputy head of the presidential office among suspects in a money-laundering case.
- The investigation, according to officials, involved a group of people accused of laundering money, though investigators gave few details publicly.
- Zelenskyy was not accused in the probe, but the case threatened to deepen a political crisis around his government.
- The developments came a day after Ukraine's recently fired defense minister called for national elections despite the war with Russia.
- The article says the ex-defense minister's demand and the graft probe together added pressure on Zelenskyy amid Russia's more than four-year invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed one of his top aides on Wednesday after corruption investigators identified a deputy head of the presidential office as a suspect in a money-laundering case. Officials did not publicly provide many details about the investigation, beyond saying it involved a group of people accused of laundering money.
Zelenskyy was not named as a suspect, but the case created a new political challenge for his administration. The article said the investigation could draw him into another crisis as it unfolded.
The developments followed a separate political dispute involving Ukraine's recently fired defense minister, who a day earlier demanded national elections even as Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine continued. Together, the two events added pressure on Zelenskyy during the fourth year of the invasion.
泽连斯基在反腐调查中解职一名高级助手，乌克兰前国防部长要求举行选举
乌克兰总统泽连斯基周三解雇了一名高级助手，此前反腐调查人员将总统办公室一名副主任列为洗钱案嫌疑人。官员公开披露的调查细节很少，只表示案件涉及一批被指控洗钱的人。
泽连斯基本人没有被列为嫌疑人，但这起案件给其政府带来了新的政治压力。报道指出，随着调查推进，它可能把泽连斯基卷入另一场危机。
这一进展发生在另一场政治争议之后：乌克兰最近被解职的国防部长前一天要求举行全国选举，尽管俄罗斯对乌克兰的全面战争仍在继续。报道说，这两件事叠加起来，在入侵进入第四年的背景下进一步压缩了泽连斯基的回旋空间。