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New Delhi: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, following an early-morning anti-corruption raid on Yermak’s government-district apartment in Kyiv. Although Yermak has not been formally accused of wrongdoing, his position has become increasingly untenable as pressure mounted over a widening embezzlement scandal that has shaken Ukraine’s political establishment.
Yermak, 54, has been one of Zelensky’s most trusted confidants throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion and recently took on a pivotal role leading negotiations at a time when US President Donald Trump is pushing for a new framework to end the war. His resignation comes at a moment of heightened political vulnerability for Kyiv, with the corruption affair undermining public confidence and complicating Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts in Washington.
Delivering a sombre address outside the presidential office, Zelensky appealed for unity, warning: "We risk losing everything: ourselves, Ukraine, our future." He stressed that Yermak had always represented Kyiv’s stance firmly, saying: "I'm grateful to Andriy that Ukraine's position on the negotiating track was always presented as required: it was always a patriotic position."
The scandal, involving allegations of a $100m embezzlement scheme in the energy sector, has already led to ministerial dismissals and detentions of several suspects. Investigators from Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau and specialised prosecutor’s office say they uncovered a network of kickbacks and illicit influence across state-owned firms, including nuclear operator Enerhoatom. The case has triggered alarm among European allies, particularly as Ukraine continues to seek EU membership.
Yermak, who has publicly vowed to cooperate with investigators, restated the government’s red lines shortly before the raid, amid growing US pressure for territorial concessions to Russia. "As long as Zelensky is president, no-one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory," he said in an interview with The Atlantic. He acknowledged he was under "enormous" pressure to step aside, noting that "the case is fairly loud, and there needs to be an objective and independent investigation without political influence".
Zelensky said consultations on a replacement would begin on Saturday: "When all the attention is focused on diplomacy and the defence in a war, inner strength is required." He reiterated that internal divisions would only serve Moscow’s interests: "Russia wants Ukraine to make mistakes – there won't be any mistakes from our side. Our work continues, our fight continues. We have no right... to retreat, to quarrel [among ourselves]."
Yermak’s exit removes a central figure from the president’s inner circle just as high-level US officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, prepare to arrive in Kyiv as part of Trump’s evolving peace initiative. Meanwhile, Washington delegates are due in Moscow next week, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday backed a Hungarian proposal to host a potential Trump-Putin summit in Budapest. Putin has continued to insist on sweeping territorial demands, declaring that Russian forces hold the battlefield initiative and saying the war would only end when Ukrainian troops withdraw from the entire Donbas region.
