Female Ukrainian MP accused of leading extortion ring

Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies say they have uncovered a criminal group allegedly headed by a female member of parliament, deepening the country’s escalating political turmoil amid a separate $100 million graft scandal linked to President Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) did not name the MP, but multiple Ukrainian media outlets reported that the suspect is opposition lawmaker Anna Skorokhod. She is accused of leading a ring that extorted around $250,000 from a Ukrainian businessman.

Skorokhod acknowledged that her properties were searched but denied any wrongdoing, claiming the investigation is politically motivated retaliation for her criticism of Ukraine’s leadership.

She has frequently raised concerns about rising military casualties and widespread desertion in the armed forces. Writing on Facebook, she said the timing of the raids “leads to unambiguous conclusions” and amounted to “direct pressure on the opposition.”

Her name had already surfaced in earlier reporting on a vast corruption scheme uncovered last month, in which NABU and SAPO allege around $100 million was siphoned from the state-owned nuclear operator Energoatom. Several MPs were reportedly caught on covert recordings related to the investigation, which centres on businessman and former Zelensky associate Timur Mindich.

The widening scandal has claimed high-profile casualties, including Justice Minister German Galushchenko, Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, and Zelensky’s powerful aide Andrey Yermak, long viewed as one of the most influential figures in Ukraine’s political hierarchy.