Zelensky's chief of staff Yermak resigns amid Ukraine's biggest corruption scandal
Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, submitted his resignation following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his premises earlier on Nov. 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.
Yermak is being investigated by the NABU in a case involving state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom, the biggest corruption investigation during Zelensky's presidency. Eight suspects have been charged in the Energoatom case, and Timur Mindich, a close associate of the president, is allegedly the ringleader.
"There will be a reset of the President's Office," Zelensky said. "Andriy Yermak, the head of the President's Office, has submitted his resignation. I am grateful to Andriy for always presenting Ukraine's position in the negotiation track exactly as it needed to be."
Zelensky said he wanted to "avoid rumors and speculation."
"As for the new head of the (President's) Office, tomorrow I will hold consultations with those who could lead this institution," he added.
A decree on Yermak's dismissal has been published on the official website of the President's Office.
Zelensky also commented on who would represent Ukraine instead of Yermak, who was appointed to lead a delegation in the U.S.-Ukraine talks in Switzerland on Nov. 23.
He said that the Ukrainian delegation in the peace talks would include the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the head of the General Staff, the Foreign Ministry, and intelligence officials.
Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, is also under investigation in the Energoatom corruption case, but has not been charged so far.
Two other officials implicated in the corruption scandal, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, were fired on Nov. 19. They have not been charged yet.
Zelensky said that he expected new energy and justice ministers to be appointed soon.
"The current ministers must be assessed in a way that allows for clear conclusions about whether they are capable of meeting the challenges of both this winter and this war," he added.
Ukrainska Pravda reported on Nov. 24, citing its sources, that Yermak is implicated in the corruption scandal, and investigators refer to him as "Ali Baba."
Ukraine's chief anti-corruption prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko said earlier in November that, according to investigators, "Ali Baba is holding meetings and assigning tasks to law enforcement agencies to ensure they persecute NABU detectives and anti-corruption prosecutors."
One of the luxury houses near Kyiv financed through the Energoatom corruption scheme was meant for Yermak, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.
The President's Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Appointed in 2020, Yermak has gathered unprecedented influence within the Ukrainian government. Despite long-standing criticism, Zelensky previously said he trusted Yermak and dismissed claims that the latter wielded excessive power.
"I'm a bit disappointed that Yermak has not been charged yet — I hope that's temporary."
"Yermak is a powerful manager. I respect him for his results. He does what I tell him to do, and he carries out these tasks," Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg last year.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a lawmaker from the opposition Holos party, told the Kyiv Independent that the move is a clearly positive step, saying it addresses two main issues.
"The first issue is updating state governance, which, especially in the absence of elections, has been widely discussed," he said. "The second is an appropriate response to the level of scandal that arose in connection with the Mindich case."
"There is no one within the system or outside it who sees this as a negative step, only positive."
Zheleznyak added that the country would not be weakened by Yermak's departure if Zelensky, together with parliament and the government, quickly forms a new team.
When asked who might replace Yermak, Zheleznyak said four candidates are being discussed: Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
In his view, Shmyhal would be the most suitable choice for the role.
Inna Sovsun, another lawmaker from the Holos party, said the resignation came as a surprise despite long-standing calls for it.
"Frankly, this resignation was unexpected," she said. "It was desired, even dreamed of, but still unexpected. We remember the president saying he would dismiss Yermak only if there was evidence of his involvement in corruption schemes."
"So now there is a question of what ultimately prompted the president to act."
Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, called the resignation a positive step but said it must be followed by real accountability.
"I'm a bit disappointed that Yermak has not been charged yet — I hope that's temporary," she said. "By dismissing Yermak, Zelensky chose to stand with the people rather than with his corrupt inner circle."
Lawmakers from Zelensky's Servant of the People party also welcomed the decision.
"It's the right decision by both Yermak, who tendered his resignation, and the president, who had accepted the resignation," Oleksandr Merezhko, a top lawmaker from Zelensky's party, told the Kyiv Independent
He added that the next chief of staff may come from outside the current presidential team.
"I don't know who might be the new chief of staff — it might be someone from outside the President's Office, because the president wants to reshuffle it," he said.
Mykyta Poturaiev, another lawmaker from Zelensky's party, said the president ultimately made the only responsible choice.
"Yermak staying in his chair could definitely lead us to bad consequences on the international arena and to a deepening of our domestic social crisis," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Poturaiev added that the focus should not be on Yermak's replacement but on dismantling the system he built. The real issue, he said, lies in the governance model Yermak designed.
Even "a saint," he said, could be put into the role and "in two months or half a year, this saint person can transform into a devil," noting that "Lucifer started as an angel."
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, lawmaker from the Holos party, said he does not believe the decision came too late.
"We can thank the president for this difficult but timely decision," he added.
On the international stage, Guillaume Mercier, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said Brussels was closely monitoring the developments unfolding in Kyiv.
"We have seen the news about today's searches by NABU and SAPO and the resignation of the head of the President's Office. We understand investigations are ongoing," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Mercier stressed that the anti-corruption drive remains central to Ukraine's EU bid, noting that accession requires "continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and the respect for the rule of law."
