Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrei Yermak resigns after anti-corruption crackdown

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his chief of staff Andrei Yermak had resigned after an anti-corruption raid on his home.

Yermak, 54, has been Zelensky’s closest adviser during Russia’s all-out war, but he has come under increasing pressure as the scandal escalates – although he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Zelensky recently appointed his chief of staff to lead key negotiations as U.S. President Donald Trump leads a new effort to end the war with Russia.

In a stern address to the nation outside the presidential office, Zelensky called for unity, warning: “We risk losing everything: ourselves, Ukraine, our future.”

The corruption scandal has rocked Ukraine for weeks, weakening Zelensky’s own standing and jeopardizing the country’s negotiating position with the United States at a sensitive time.

Two of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies raided Yermak’s apartment in a government quarters in Kiev early on Friday, with “full cooperation from my side” the chief of staff said on social media.

“I thank Andrei that Ukraine’s position on the negotiating track has always been as required: it has always been a patriotic position,” the Ukrainian president said in a video address from Kyiv on Friday.

Zelensky said he would begin consultations on Saturday on who would succeed Yermak as his top adviser: “When all attention is focused on diplomacy and defense in war, internal strength is needed.”

“Russia wants Ukraine to make mistakes – there will be no mistakes from our side. Our work continues, our fight continues. We have no right… to retreat, to quarrel (among us).”

Yermak’s departure from Ukraine’s leadership would be a major blow to Zelenskiy, who is expected to arrive in Kiev this weekend as part of Trump’s draft peace plan, said U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. U.S. officials will travel to Moscow next week.

Even hours before his apartment was raided, Yermak emphasized his significant influence on Ukraine’s leadership, conveying the Ukrainian government’s stance on making territorial concessions to Russia under U.S. pressure, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Yermak told The Atlantic website: “As long as Zelensky is president, no one expects us to give up territory. He will not sign an agreement to give up territory.”

Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over territory it still controls in the eastern Donetsk region, which includes several strategically important cities.

“If they do not withdraw their troops, we will achieve this by force,” Putin said on Thursday.

Yermak admitted in an interview that he faced “tremendous” pressure to step down, adding that “the case is quite loud and requires an objective, independent investigation without political influence”.

Investigators have linked several high-profile figures to an alleged $100m (£75m) corruption scandal in the energy industry.

Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau Nabu and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sap) said they uncovered a widespread scheme to receive kickbacks and influence state-owned enterprises including state-owned nuclear energy company Enerhoatom.

Russian officials involved in a draft of Trump’s peace plan have spoken out about corruption allegations, alarming EU allies. Ukraine is a candidate for EU membership, and a report earlier this month highlighted doubts about “commitment to its anti-corruption agenda”.

Zelensky has fired two ministers and several suspects in the scandal have been detained. One of the president’s former business associates, Timur Mindich, has fled the country.

Mindich is a co-owner of the television studio Kvartal 95, where Zelensky began his acting career before he was elected president.