Head of Zelenskyy’s Office Yermak resigns following anti-corruption probe

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, after receiving his resignation letter, the president said in his evening address on 28 November.

Zelenskyy added that the Office is preparing for a “reset” as Ukraine readies for upcoming negotiations during wartime amid a corruption scandal.

"There will be a reset of the President's Office," Zelenskyy said in his evening address. "Andriy Yermak has submitted his resignation."

The departure comes as Ukraine grapples with the largest corruption scandal of Zelenskyy's presidency. Earlier this month, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) charged eight suspects in a scheme involving state nuclear company Energoatom.

Prosecutors named Timur Mindich, one of Zelenskyy's closest associates, as the ringleader. Mindich fled earlier Ukraine before being charged. Zelenskyy sanctioned him and placed him on the wanted list. Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk were fired on 19 November in connection with the scandal. Neither has been charged.

Ukrainska Pravda reported later, citing its sources, that Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak is identified as "Ali Baba" in NABU recordings.

MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak also confirmed this. The head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Oleksandr Klymenko earlier confirmed the existence of a suspect with this codename in the recordings. Klymenko said earlier in November that "Ali Baba is holding meetings and assigning tasks to law enforcement agencies to ensure they persecute NABU detectives and anti-corruption prosecutors." According to the MP, he may also be behind the attempt to eliminate the independence of NABU and SAPO in July.

Zelenskyy thanked Yermak in his address: "I am grateful to Andriy for always presenting Ukraine's position in the negotiation track exactly as it needed to be. It was always a patriotic position."

Zelenskyy said he would hold consultations with those who could lead this institution instead of Yermak.

Yermak has been controversial on his position as head of the president's office. Zelenskyy had refused to dismiss Yermak until now.

Zelenskyy outlined his priorities going forward: "Soon there will be negotiations, our representatives will be the Chief of the General Staff, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of the National Security Council, and our intelligence. When we all face such an external challenge—war—we must be strong inside."

Searches at Yermak's residence

On 28 November, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) conducted searches at Andriy Yermak's residene reportedly on suspicion of involvement in the largest corruption scheme, Mindichgate.

Yermak later confirmed the searches on his Telegram channel: "Today NABU and SAPO are indeed conducting procedural actions at my home. The investigators face no obstacles. They were given full access to the apartment, my lawyers are on site and are interacting with law enforcement. I am fully cooperating."

Ukrainska Pravda investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach suggested the searches may be connected to Operation Midas, the investigation into embezzlement in the energy sector.

A law enforcement reported that one of the luxury houses near Kyiv financed through the Energoatom scheme was meant for Yermak.

Sources at ZN.UA reported that searches were conducted in the apartment of the head of the Presidential Administration's parents in the government quarter, where Andriy Yermak lives. There were no searches at his workplace or at his residence on Bankova Street.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly was aware of preparations to notify Yermak of the allegations. He was informed of this by the heads of anti-corruption law enforcement agencies.

Operation Midas: The $100mn Energoatom scheme

On 10 November, NABU announced a large-scale anti-corruption operation codenamed "Midas" targeting the energy sector, conducting over 70 searches.

According to investigators, the scheme's organizers received up to 15% of state-owned Energoatom's contract values as kickbacks. Contractors were forced to pay through intermediaries imposed by the scheme's participants.

NABU released recordings of conversations between suspects identified by codenames: "Rocket" (a former adviser to ex-Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko), "Tenor" (Energoatom's executive director for physical protection and security), and others. Investigators say the group laundered $100 million in total.

The President's Office reported that all those involved in corruption schemes in the energy sector must be punished. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need for "effective action" and inevitable punishment.

Energoatom's Supervisory Board said it takes the recent corruption allegations "with utmost seriousness" and announced a special meeting to assess the situation.

Mindich flees, ministers implicated

NABU's lead detective Oleksandr Abakumov said businessman Timur Mindich left Ukraine before the operation, and the bureau is investigating who may have helped him flee. Abakumov said that four ministers from different periods were identified in the corruption case.

On 11 November, the Justice Ministry confirmed that searches were conducted with the participation of Minister Herman Halushchenko as part of the Energoatom case. The ministry said the minister is cooperating with the investigation.

The same day, NABU published new recordings showing how participants transferred money to a former deputy prime minister referred to internally as "Che Guevara"—identified as former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov, who was charged that day.

During a court hearing on 11 November, a prosecutor announced that Herman Halushchenko, Oleksiy Chernyshov, and Timur Mindich are all suspects in the case and investigations against them are ongoing.

Government response

Former Economy Minister and Kyiv School of Economics president Tymofiy Mylovanov announced his resignation from Energoatom's Supervisory Board following the scandal.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko subsequently announced the government would "relaunch" Energoatom, dissolving its Supervisory Board as a first step.

Energoatom reported that the corruption scandal has not affected production plans or the safety of nuclear power plants.

Political fallout

A corruption scandal involving people close to Zelenskyy has damaged the president's image.

The scandal has transformed Zelenskyy into a "lame duck" at home, Adrian Karatnycky, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said, according to Politico.

October polling—conducted before the scandal erupted—showed only one in four Ukrainians wanted Zelenskyy to run for office again after the war. Opposition Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who helped expose the corruption, told Politico that unpublished polls now show Zelenskyy losing a further 40% of support, placing his base at around 25%.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, has joined calls for presidential office reform and Yermak's replacement.

European partners also reacted to the searches. European Commission spokespersons Paula Pinho and Guillaume Mercier said the searches demonstrate that anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine "actually exist and are doing their job."

Mercier added that the fight against corruption is "a key element for the country's accession to the EU" and that Brussels will "continue to monitor the situation very closely."