"We turned the principle of the bail system upside down": why the 20 million hryvnia bail for former OP Deputy Head Mudra cannot be paid

As of the end of August 2026, the bail of 20 million hryvnia set by the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court for former Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Irina Mudra, has still not been paid. This was stated in court by her lawyer, Artem Krykun-Trush, who reported that potential bail sponsors fear a media attack from the prosecution and anti-corruption organizations. According to him, people with "clean" funds who are ready to pay the amount understand that the very fact of posting bail will be used against them in the public sphere.

"We turned the principle of the bail system upside down"

In an interview carried by RBC-Ukraine, citing "Mi-Ukraine," lawyer Krykun-Trush stated that the media activity of the prosecution and a number of anti-corruption organizations has led to the bail system effectively ceasing to work in relation to high-profile defendants. "Thanks to the media activity of the prosecution and some anti-corruption organizations, we have turned the principle of the bail system upside down," the defense attorney emphasized. In his assessment, potential bail guarantors fear not so much financial risks as the public criticism and pressure that will follow their decision.

Appeal postponed to September 2: defense seeks to reduce bail to 5 million

The hearing of the Appellate Chamber of the SACC in Irina Mudra's case has been postponed to September 2, 2026, with an estimated start time of 12:45. At this hearing, the defense intends to petition to reduce the bail amount from 20 to 5 million hryvnia, arguing that Mudra's existing assets allow for exactly this amount. Mudra herself participated in the previous SACC Appellate Chamber hearing via online conference. As of August 26, as RBC-Ukraine previously reported, no bail funds had been received.

Context: Operation "Forrest Gump" and dismissal on the day of the suspicion

Irina Mudra was placed under suspicion on August 19, 2026, as part of the large-scale special operation "Forrest Gump" by NABU and the SAP, aimed at eliminating high-level corruption. According to the investigation, this concerns a criminal group among senior officials of the Office of the President, current and former members of parliament, as well as the head of a state bank. On the same day, August 19, Mudra was dismissed from her position as Deputy Head of the Office of the President. On August 25, the SACC chose a preventive measure of detention for 60 days, with the possibility of posting bail of 20 million hryvnia.

Contradictory data

Open sources show a discrepancy in emphasis: some media outlets (TASS via Rambler, osnmedia) frame the situation as "unable to post bail for a week," highlighting the objective impossibility of raising the funds. Meanwhile, Mudra's lawyer in his statement points not to a lack of funds but to a subjective factor — the fear of potential sponsors of media pressure. Moreover, the defense insists that Mudra is able to pay 5 million hryvnia from her own assets, whereas the court set bail at four times that amount — 20 million. In fact, this is not a contradiction in facts but a legal conflict that must be resolved at the SACC Appellate Chamber hearing on September 2.

The outcome of the SACC Appellate Chamber hearing on September 2 will be key to determining the further fate of the case: the court may either reduce the bail amount or leave it unchanged, which will directly affect Mudra's ability to be released from custody in the coming weeks.