Andriy Bohdan, the former chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was hauled into a Kyiv courtroom this morning, the latest scalp in a UK-funded purge of corruption that has gripped the country. Sources confirm Bohdan faces charges of abuse of power linked to a shady land deal that saw state property sold at a fraction of its value to a shell company registered in Cyprus. The arrest warrant, obtained by this desk, shows Bohdan is accused of facilitating the transfer of 12 hectares of prime real estate near the Dnipro River to a firm with no visible assets or employees.

The deal, which closed in 2020, was valued at 2 million hryvnia (roughly £54,000) for land worth over 100 million hryvnia. Bohdan’s lawyer insists the charges are politically motivated, but the evidence tells a different story. Uncovered documents reveal Bohdan personally signed off on the sale after a single meeting with a man who listed an address in Nicosia as his place of business.

The UK, which has poured £10 million into Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency since the war began, is watching closely. Whitehall officials declined to comment on the record, but a source inside the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) told me: ‘We are following the money. It always leads back to the same people.

’ And Bohdan is just the beginning. Insiders say the investigation involves at least six former officials tied to the presidential office, all linked to a network of offshore firms funnelling cash out of the country. The timing is crucial: Zelensky needs to show his Western backers he is serious about cleaning house, or risk losing billions in aid.

But the real question is how far up the chain this goes. Bohdan was the second most powerful man in the country for two years. He did not act alone.

The judge has remanded him in custody for 60 days. Expect more names to surface before the snow melts.