Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigns as Ukraine corruption investigations widen : NPR

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, whose residence was searched by anti-corruption investigators earlier in the day.

Yermak has been Ukraine’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Russia and the United States. He has also been a trusted confidant of Zelensky for years.

The unprecedented search at the heart of Ukraine’s government comes at a time when Kiev is under intense US pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after Russia’s invasion.

Two national agencies fighting widespread corruption in Ukraine said Yermak was targeted in their search. Yermak’s spokesman Oleksiy Tkachuk said that anti-corruption agencies had not given Yermak a notice of suspicion, meaning he was not a suspect in the investigation. Tkachuk said that Yermak was not told what the searches were about.

Yermak, a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key partner in talks with the United States, confirmed they searched his apartment inside the presidential compound in downtown Kiev, where checkpoints restrict public access. Media reports said Yermak’s office was also searched, but investigators declined to comment.

It was unclear where Zelensky or Yermak were at the time of the morning raid.

“Investigators are not facing any obstacles,” Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram. He said that he is fully cooperating with them and his lawyers are present.

energy sector

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs. He is currently leading a major investigation into a $100 million energy sector corruption scandal involving top Ukrainian officials, which has dominated domestic headlines in recent weeks.

It is unclear whether the search was connected to the case and NABU spokesman Anton Tatarnikov declined to comment, citing legal restrictions on revealing details on the ongoing investigation.

Guillaume Mercier, a spokesman for the European Commission, told Ukrainian local news, Radio Svoboda, on Friday that they were following the developments closely and that the findings show that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies are acting. He said fighting corruption was central to the country’s accession to the European Union.

Investigators suspect that Zelensky’s one-time business partner, Timur Mindich, was the mastermind of the plot. Mindich has fled the country, any criminal proceedings against him are likely to be conducted in his absence. Two top ministers of the government have resigned in this scam.

Two of Yermak’s former deputies – Oleh Tatarov and Rostislav Shurma – left the government in 2024 after watchdog agencies investigated them for financial wrongdoings. A third deputy, Andrey Smirnov, was investigated for bribery and other wrongdoings, but he still works for Yermak.

political turmoil

The scandal has created further problems for Zelensky as he seeks continued support from Western countries for Ukraine’s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told Zelensky he must crack down on corruption.

Zelensky faced an unprecedented revolt from his own lawmakers after investigators published details of his energy sector probe earlier this month.

Although Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing, several senior lawmakers from Zelensky’s party said that Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle to restore public confidence. Some said that if Zelensky did not remove him, the party could split, threatening the president’s parliamentary majority. But Zelensky defied him.

Zelensky urged Ukrainians to unite and “stop playing political games” in the face of US pressure to compromise with Russia.

Yermak met Zelensky 15 years ago when he was a lawyer and breaking into the TV production business and Zelensky was a well-known Ukrainian comedian and actor.

He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelensky’s first presidential team and was promoted to Chief of Staff in February 2020.

Yermak has accompanied Zelensky on every foreign trip since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and the president’s trust in him has made Yermak’s power almost untouchable.

Domestically, officials describe Yermak as Zelensky’s gatekeeper, and he is widely believed to have chosen all top government appointments, including prime ministers and ministers.

Yermak and people associated with the President’s office have come under investigation before.