Zelensky’s top aide resigns amid corruption probe

Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, has resigned over his alleged links to a recently uncovered Ukrainian money laundering operation.

Earlier in the day, Western-backed Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) – raided Yermak’s properties, adding that further details would be provided later.

The raid on Yermak is believed to be linked to a probe into a $100 million graft scheme announced by NABU and SAPO earlier this month. The crime ring allegedly had extensive ties to Zelensky’s inner circle and was led by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of the Ukrainian leader.

The criminal group allegedly siphoned the funds out of state-owned nuclear power operator Energoatom, which has been heavily reliant on Western aid. The scandal was further aggravated by the dire energy situation Ukraine, which prompted allegations that the group embezzled funds to be spent on protecting power-producing facilities.

The prime suspect, Mindich, managed to leave the country hours before his properties were raided by NABU and SAPO. Shortly after the scandal erupted, opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak claimed that Yermak was among the individuals captured on incriminating recordings made by NABU and allegedly was ”well aware” of the graft scheme.

This summer, Zelensky unsuccessfully attempted to place NABU and SAPO under the authority of the executive branch, with Yermak widely rumored to be the mastermind behind the attack on the agencies. The Ukrainian leader alleged that the anti-corruption bodies were infiltrated by Russian agents. Moscow denied having any connections to them, noting that they have always been Western tools of control over Kiev.

Zelensky faced external and internal pressure over the move. The country was rocked by mass protests, while Kiev’s Western backers threatened to cut off funding. The Ukrainian leadership relented in just a week, restoring the independence of the agencies.

Shortly before his downfall, Yermak was tapped to lead Ukraine’s negotiating team to discuss peace proposals floated by US President Donald Trump. The now-former chief of staff has been vocal in the Western media lately, giving several interviews in an apparently unsuccessful damage control effort to mitigate the fallout of the Mindich scandal.