Ukraine: Zelennsky’s top aide resigns after anti-graft raid

A major political shock hit Ukraine when Andriy Yermak, long viewed as the country’s most powerful figure after the president, resigned on November 28 after anti-corruption agents searched his property, as reported by Reuters.

His depart comes amid a widening graft probe that has exposed a close friend of Zelensky, Timur Mindich, as the mastermind, which has already forced two ministers from office.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest adviser has now been removed at a moment when Ukraine is under intense military and diplomatic pressure.

The raid on Yermak’s home was conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Zelensky tried to remove the autonomy of both of these corruption agencies earlier this year, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Yermak, 54, served as Zelensky’s chief of staff and played a central role in wartime negotiations, Western outreach and prisoner exchanges. Though he has not been named a suspect, he became caught up in an investigation that has shaken Ukraine’s political establishment and heightened concerns among Western partners amid ongoing peace talks with Russia.

U.S. officials have grown increasingly uneasy over corruption allegations involving senior Ukrainian figures, weakening the president’s position at a time when Kyiv urgently needs continued support due to a lack of manpower and weaponry.

Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, said the resignation was the correct choice, calling it a step that strengthens Zelenskiy’s standing in parliament, society and among Western allies.

The move is particularly significant because of Yermak’s deep personal and professional ties to the president. The two first met in the early 2010s, when Zelenskiy was rising in television and Yermak was establishing himself in media.

Yermak joined the 2019 presidential campaign and soon became an indispensable figure in the administration, appearing alongside Zelensky in European capitals and on frontline visits.

Little has been revealed about what investigators sought at Yermak’s apartment. The searches stem from a sweeping case involving an alleged scheme to control contracts at the state atomic agency, with accusations of $100 million in kickbacks and laundered money.

Ukrainians have reacted with anger, especially as the case touches on energy infrastructure already vulnerable to Russian strikes that leave residents facing frequent outages.

Zelensky announced that he accepted the resignation to avoid “rumors or speculation” and to keep attention on the war and potential peace negotiations.

The scandal breaks as Ukraine confronts U.S. pressure to consider concessions to Moscow as Russia pushes forward on the battlefield, all the while Kyiv continues to try and prove to the European Union that it is serious about combating corruption.

Reuters, Al-Jazeera, Maghrebi.org