Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday fired a top aide reportedly targeted in a corruption investigation, just a day after an ousted defense minister issued a surprise call for wartime elections.

Zelensky issued a decree to remove Iryna Mudra, his deputy chief of staff, after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said it was raiding the homes of a senior official from the president's office and a sitting member of parliament.

The agency, which did not name Mudra, said the investigation was linked to allegations of money laundering over a multimillion-dollar bail payment for a suspect in a major corruption case brought last year.

The developments add to a summer of political upheaval in Kyiv, which has been fighting off the Russian invasion since February 2022.

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Zelensky has dismissed both his popular defence minister and commander-in-chief in recent weeks.

The removal of defence chief Mykhailo Fedorov triggered the most significant street protests since the war began.

Late last year, Zelensky's top aide and eminence grise Andriy Yermak resigned after being linked to a $100 million graft probe into the energy sector, which has been battered by Russian attacks throughout the war.

Ukraine has long struggled to root out corruption, but has moved to implement reforms as it seeks to join the European Union.

Fedorov, who polls show is one of the most popular politicians in the country, issued a shock call on Tuesday for Kyiv to start preparing for wartime elections.

He also hit out at alleged widespread corruption in the country.

The move was seen as a direct challenge to Zelensky, his long-time ally.

Under Ukraine's martial law, imposed when Russia invaded, elections are suspended – something Russia has long used to cast Zelensky as an illegitimate leader.

Zelensky has said he is open to new presidential elections but that they cannot be held while the country is fighting, with large parts of land occupied by Russia and millions of Ukrainians living abroad.