Top Zelensky aide resigns as Ukrainian anti-corruption probe deepens
Ukrainian President Zelensky's top aid has resigned in a wide-ranging corruption probe. Andriy Yermak had been seen as a powerful figure at the centre of the government and Zelensky's gatekeeper. The resignation follows the flight of another Zelensky associate.
Kiev (dpa) – A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, resigned on Friday following searches by anti-corruption investigators at his residence, in what could be a blow to diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky thanked Yermak as he announced the resignation, also saying he would restructure the President's Office. "I want there to be no rumours or speculation," Zelensky said in the video message, adding that he would hold talks with potential successors on Saturday.
Ukraine, which has been fighting to repel a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three and a half years, has been shaken for weeks by a bribery scandal that reaches into the state leadership.
Zelensky had remained conspicuously silent about the deepening investigation around Yermak and other senior officials, which led to criticism of his hesitation throughout the day on Friday.
The raid is linked to an ongoing probe, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) said.
Prior to resigning, Yermak confirmed the searches at his home. "There are no impediments for the investigators," the 54-year-old wrote on social media, pledging his full cooperation.
The Ukrainska Pravda news website showed photos of 10 NABU and SAP officials entering the government district.
Exit Zelensky's right-hand man
Yermak had headed the presidential office since February 2020 and was considered the second most powerful man in Ukraine. Observers see his forced departure as a serious blow to Zelensky, who has lost a long-time confidant.
The loyalty of the parliamentary faction on which Zelensky's power is based could now also be called into question.
In his video message, Zelensky warned against external pressure and internal strife within Ukraine. "If we lose our unity, we risk losing everything. Ourselves, Ukraine, our future," he said.
Yermak has also been a central figure in talks with the United States aimed at ending the war launched by Russia in February 2022.
His appointment last week as the head of the Ukrainian negotiating team for the peace talks surprised political observers in Kiev, after the corruption scandal put a spotlight on him.
However, according to media reports, Zelensky specifically appointed Yermak as chief negotiator at a meeting in Geneva on Sunday in order to remove him from scrutiny by investigators.
Corruption probe casts wide net
A little over two weeks ago, the Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies revealed that they were investigating millions of dollars worth of energy sector bribes.
The energy minister, Svitlana Hrynychuk, and her predecessor Herman Halushchenko, who had moved on to the justice ministry, were subsequently dismissed from their posts, while several people were arrested.
The main suspect, Zelensky's long-time confidant Tymur Mindich, has fled the country. A wanted notice has been issued for him. According to NABU, Mindich exploited his "friendly relations with the president of Ukraine" to enrich himself.
Investigators also referred to corruption in the defence sector and contacts between Mindich and former defence minister Rustem Umerov relating to the purchase of body armour for the army.
Umerov is also one of Kiev's chief negotiators in the talks with Russia and the US. He has vehemently denied any involvement in the bribery affair.
In July, Zelensky attempted to bring NABU and SAP under his control. At that time, Yermak was accused of being behind the hastily passed legal amendment, with the aim of preventing proceedings against Mindich and former deputy premier Oleksiy Chernyshov.
Street protests and EU intervention prompted Zelensky to reverse the law.
Opposition lawmaker Olexiy Honcharenko said on Friday that the investigations could be a response to Yermak's alleged order to monitor investigators from NABU and SAP. "Not even all the lawyers in the country can help," Honcharenko wrote on Telegram.
In response to the raid on Yermak, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the corruption scandal in Ukraine was spreading, with negative consequences for the political system in Kiev.
Despite a series of new anti-bribery agencies created since the Western-backed coup in 2014, Ukraine is still considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. As a candidate for EU membership, the country has committed itself to reforms.
Yermak's role in peace talks
Before Friday's events, Yermak had announced new talks on the US-initiated efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with a US delegation led by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll expected to arrive.
Following his resignation, he will likely be unable to continue in his role as chief negotiator.
Last week, the US presented a 28-point peace plan. On Sunday, a Ukrainian delegation led by Yermak, with the support of European allies, made changes to the plan and presented them to Washington.
In an interview, Yermak rejected Russia's demands for territorial concessions in Donbass in exchange for a ceasefire - one of Ukraine's chief objections to the original US plan.
"As long as Zelensky is president, no one should expect us to give up any territory. He will not cede any territory," he told The Atlantic.
Russia insists that Ukrainian troops completely withdraw from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in order to achieve a peaceful settlement.