EditZelenskyy’s chief of staff Budanov named in tapes linked to major corruption case
The scandal is likely to intensify pressure on Zelenskyy to hold elections, as demanded by his ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov allegedly appears in audio recordings made by investigators as part of a major corruption case involving Zelenskyy’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra, Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on Wednesday, citing court materials.
The recordings allegedly capture Budanov’s voice in at least one conversation, while transcripts cited by investigators explicitly identify him as taking part in some of the discussions.
The recordings were released as part of a corruption investigation into Mudra and several other suspects. Last week, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) charged them with corporate raiding and money laundering.
NABU probe targets Zelenskyy’s office and state bank in new corruption scandal
This case is linked to last year’s investigation into state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom, the largest corruption investigation of Zelenskyy’s presidency. The Mudra case also follows corruption charges brought in May against Zelenskyy’s former Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.
At a court hearing on 25 August, a lawyer for Sense Bank CEO Oleksiy Stupak, one of the suspects, cited NABU recordings referring to “Kyrylo Oleksiyovich”, a first name and patronymic matching Budanov’s. The lawyer did not specify his surname.
“Listen, Kyrylo Oleksiyovich called and asked what’s going on with Sense Bank,” Mudra allegedly said, according to the recordings cited by the lawyer.
Hromadske reported that transcripts included in prosecutors’ motions explicitly identify Budanov as taking part in the conversations.
Budanov, who took over as head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office in January after the departure of Andriy Yermak, has not been charged in the case. But his alleged appearance in recordings involving his former deputy risks widening the political fallout from an investigation that has already reached deep into Zelenskyy’s inner circle.
In one exchange, Mudra allegedly called former MP Maksym Mykytas and put Budanov on speakerphone: “I’m with Kyrylo Oleksiyovich,” Mudra allegedly told Mykytas.
“Thank you, hello,” Budanov allegedly replied. “Thanks a lot.”
The alleged transcripts also indicate that Timur Mindich, a suspect in the Energoatom case and a close associate of Zelenskyy, sought to put Sense Bank’s cash flows under Budanov’s control.
Kyrylo and the bank
On 9 June Mudra allegedly told Mykytas that Mindich had approached “Kyrylo” about taking control of the bank.
“Mindich approached Kyrylo,” Mudra allegedly said. “To take control of it… Wait, there are some serious money flows there… There’s no one to take them over right now. Do you understand? And once Gera (apparently former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko) gets out, he’ll get his hands on those flows again. So we need to bargain for something for ourselves before that happens.”
Mudra allegedly said that Sense Bank’s management was prepared to follow instructions from “Kyrylo”, apparently referring to Budanov. “They’re ready to do anything,” she allegedly said. “I mean, wherever Kyrylo tells them to bring [the money], they’ll take it… They’ll do whatever he says.”
According to the investigation, Mudra and Mykytas were involved in laundering 150 million Ukrainian Hryvnias ($3.4 million) and transferring the funds through Sense Bank to pay bail for Halushchenko, who was charged in February in the Energoatom case.
On 17 June Mykytas allegedly said that Mindich had personally delivered cash for Halushchenko’s bail to “Kyrylo Oleksiyovich”, another apparent reference to Budanov. According to prosecutors’ motions, Mudra and Mykytas also discussed how to avoid attracting the attention of NABU investigators.
Do you really want to fight corruption?
On 9 February Mudra allegedly told Mykytas that she had been invited to a gathering expected to be attended by heads of courts, but decided not to go because she did not want to be seen with judges at a restaurant.
“They invited me,” Mudra allegedly said. “Well, I’m not going. It wouldn’t be right. I mean, I’m telling you, if Budanov finds out… Especially since they meet at restaurants that are definitely on the NABU’s radar, you know?”
“Well, Budanov said not to meet in restaurants,” Mykytas allegedly replied. Mudra also allegedly told Mykytas that she had spoken to Budanov about her desire to “do the right things” and fight corruption.
“I think fighting corruption is a very good thing, and if we manage to ratify this convention now and become a party to it, that will be something you and I can take credit for,” she allegedly said.
Budanov then allegedly asked her: “Do you really want to fight corruption?”
“Well, I don’t want my country to become mired in corruption,” Mudra allegedly replied.
“Look, that’s the wrong approach,” Budanov allegedly said. “Corruption needs to be systematised and controlled.”
Investigators also claim in court materials that Mudra repeatedly told Mykytas that she regularly received unofficial payments of $20,000-$30,000 from “Kyrylo”, another apparent reference to Budanov.
Ukrainska Pravda reported on 20 August, citing sources, that Budanov’s name was mentioned in the charges against Mudra. On recordings officially published by NABU, Mudra repeatedly refers to him as her “boss”. According to the Kyiv Independent, Mudra had two bosses, Zelenskyy and Budanov.
Besides Mudra, Mykytas and Stupak, MP Vadym Stolar and Viktor Dubovyk, head of the legal policy department at the President’s Office, were also charged in the case last week. Stolar has fled abroad.
Stolar, Mudra and Mykytas are accused of illegally seizing real estate by hacking the corporate register, forging documents and bribing judges and law enforcement officials.
Budanov is one of Ukraine’s best-known wartime figures. A career military intelligence officer, he headed Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) from 2020 until January 2026 and became known for overseeing covert operations against Russia, including strikes and sabotage operations behind Russian lines. He was wounded several times during the war and has survived multiple assassination attempts attributed to Russia. Zelenskyy awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine in 2024.
In January, Zelenskyy appointed Budanov to head the Presidential Office, replacing Andriy Yermak, who had resigned amid a corruption scandal. The move brought one of Ukraine’s most popular and trusted military figures into the centre of the president’s political operation. Budanov has not been charged in the current case.
Mudra denies wrongdoing. On 25 August Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ordered her to be held in custody for 60 days, with the option of release on 20 million Ukrainian Hryvnias bail.
The scandal is likely to intensify pressure on Zelenskyy to hold elections, as demanded by his ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Sources: Ukrainian pravda, Kyiv independent, Hromadske
Caption: Kyrylo Budanov, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, attends the Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 April 2026. The annual forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation, is the country’s primary international platform for security and diplomacy. EPA/STRINGER
Updated: August 27, 2026 - 06:08
