 "Zelenskyy’s top aide Andriy Yermak resigns after corruption raids")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday announced that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned following a raid on his home by the country’s anti-corruption authorities, intensifying a major graft scandal at a critical time for Ukraine.
Yermak has been Ukraine’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Russia and the United States. He has also been a trusted confidante of Zelenskyy’s for years.
“The Office of the President of Ukraine will be reorganised. The head of the office, Andriy Yermak, has submitted his resignation,” Kyiv Post quoted Zelenskyy as saying in a video address, adding that consultations on a replacement would begin Saturday.
The raid, conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), is linked to an ongoing investigation into a $100-million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s strategic energy sector.
Investigators say the scheme operated as Russia stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, causing blackouts and threatening winter heating supplies.
Yermak, 54, said he was fully cooperating with investigators.
“There are no obstacles for the investigators. They have been given full access… and my lawyers are present on-site,” he wrote on social media.
A former film producer and copyright lawyer, Yermak has been one of President Zelenskyy’s closest allies since 2019, often described as the president’s gatekeeper and the second-most influential figure in Ukraine.
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View AllHe also served as Ukraine’s lead negotiator with the United States on a recent draft peace plan, a role analysts say could be complicated by the scandal and his resignation.
With inputs from agencies
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