KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday that his chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, has resigned after anti-corruption investigators searched Yermak’s residence earlier the same day.
Yermak, a long-time confidant of Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s lead negotiator in talks with Russia and the United States, confirmed investigators searched his apartment inside the presidential compound in downtown Kyiv. His spokesperson, Oleksii Tkachuk, said Yermak had not been served a notice of suspicion and was not formally a suspect, and that Yermak did not know the precise reason for the searches. Yermak said on Telegram he was cooperating fully and that his lawyers were present.
The searches were carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, which are leading a major probe into a roughly $100 million corruption scheme in the energy sector that has dominated domestic headlines. Investigators have not confirmed whether the searches at the presidential compound were tied to that case; NABU declined to comment, citing legal restrictions.
European Commission officials said they were watching the developments closely and noted that effective anti-corruption action is central to Ukraine’s EU accession prospects.
Investigators allege Tymur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelenskyy, masterminded the scheme; Mindich has left the country and any proceedings against him are likely to proceed in absentia. Two government ministers resigned over the scandal. Two of Yermak’s former deputies, Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma, left the administration in 2024 amid watchdog probes. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, has been investigated for alleged bribes but remains in Yermak’s office.
The scandal has intensified political strain for Zelenskyy as he seeks continued Western support and funding for Ukraine’s war effort and pursues a possible peace settlement with Russia. Earlier this month, investigators’ public revelations about the energy probe sparked an unprecedented rebellion within Zelenskyy’s own parliamentary faction. Some senior lawmakers demanded Yermak take responsibility to restore public trust and warned the party could split if Zelenskyy did not remove him. Zelenskyy resisted those calls and urged unity and an end to “political games” amid U.S. pressure to reach a settlement with Russia.
Yermak, who met Zelenskyy about 15 years ago when both were entering new careers, joined Zelenskyy’s first presidential team handling foreign affairs and was elevated to chief of staff in February 2020. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Yermak has accompanied Zelenskyy on foreign trips and has been described domestically as the president’s gatekeeper, influential in selecting top government appointees including prime ministers and ministers.
Officials and associates linked to the president’s office have faced investigations before. While Yermak was not publicly accused of wrongdoing in the latest developments, the searches and his resignation underscore growing pressure on Ukraine’s leadership to demonstrate effective anti-corruption enforcement.