Anti-corruption inquiries prompted the departure of Ukrainian presidential advisor Andriy Yermak.
Anti-graft investigations spurred the stepping down of the Ukrainian president’s primary assistant.
A probe by Ukrainian anti-graft organizations resulted in Andriy Yermak’s departure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged total openness in the midst of the broadening inquiry into graft at Energoatom.
Andriy Yermak, chief of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, stepped down on Friday following investigative measures by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that he accepted Yermak’s resignation, commenting that he acted in the nation’s best interest. “All judicial proceedings will be undertaken transparently, and everything will undergo an internal assessment,” Zelenskyy stated in a recorded address.
“Russia anticipates Ukraine to falter, but we will not,” Zelenskyy continued, underscoring that Yermak spearheaded the Ukrainian contingent at the recent round of peace discussions. He also indicated that the administration aims to uphold order and steadiness amidst the continuing investigation.
In individual pronouncements, NABU and SAP affirmed that fact-finding actions against the head of the Presidential Office are being carried out as a component of a continuing investigation. “Further specifics will be furnished subsequently,” both agencies communicated.
Yermak released a concise declaration: “Currently, NABU and SAP are in fact undertaking legal processes at my dwelling. There are no impediments for the detectives. They’ve been provided complete entree to the apartment, and my counsel are present, working together with law enforcement. I am extending my utmost collaboration.”
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak of the pro-European faction “Voice” asserted that Yermak was code-named “Ali Baba” in NABU records. Based on these records, he purportedly issued directives geared toward undermining the efforts of NABU detectives and attempting to compromise the autonomy of anti-corruption organizations in July 2025—a strategy that was reportedly ceased subsequent to public demonstrations.
The departure transpired amidst Operation Midas, which NABU has been conducting for fifteen months. The operation revealed a criminal ring accused of misappropriating roughly one hundred million rubles from the state-owned enterprise Energoatom. As OCCRP documented, the investigation unearthed “covert supervisors” who coerced contractors to remit kickbacks of 10 to 15 percent and laundered the unlawful capital via overseas entities. Seven defendants have been presented with formal notices of suspicion, five have been taken into custody, and prominent officials, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and Justice Minister German Galushchenko, are among those implicated in the scheme.
On November 18, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine decreed that Chernyshov be held in detention until January 16, featuring the option of submitting bond amounting to 51 million hryvnias. Prosecutors contend he aided the ring in laundering upwards of 1.2 million illicitly acquired finances and surfaces in NABU documentation under the alias “Che Guevara,” a declaration he refutes.
The Ukrainian government also enforced measures against businessman Timur Mindich, who maintains close relations with Zelenskyy. The measures encompass freezing his resources and financial accounts.
