Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned after anti-corruption agencies raided his home amid a major embezzlement scandal shaking Kyiv’s leadership, although Yermak maintains he has done nothing wrong.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned following a raid by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies on his Kyiv apartment, a dramatic development in a widening $100m embezzlement scandal that has rocked the government. Although Yermak has not been accused of wrongdoing, public and political pressure has surged, with polling showing that 70% of Ukrainians wanted him to step down.
Zelensky, calling for national unity and warning that “We risk losing everything: ourselves, Ukraine, our future,” praised Yermak’s patriotic handling of peace negotiations, even as the scandal threatens Kyiv’s position in sensitive talks with the US. Yermak said there was “full co-operation” from his side and insisted earlier that “As long as Zelensky is president, no-one should count on us giving up territory.” Investigators say the alleged corruption scheme involved kickbacks in Ukraine’s energy sector, and the scandal has already led to ministerial dismissals and detentions.