Ukraine probes Zelensky ex‑aide

Ukraine’s anti-corruption fight just hit the core of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s old inner circle. On May 11, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office formally named Andriy Yermak — Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff and once his most powerful aide — a suspect in a money-laundering case. (politico.eu) The stakes are obvious. Ukraine is trying to wage a war, hold Western trust, and prove that even people close to the presidency are not off-limits. ### Who is Andriy Yermak? Yermak was not just another staffer. He was widely seen as the second-most powerful person in Ukraine after Zelenskyy, with influence over domestic politics, foreign policy, and peace diplomacy. He resigned in November 2025 after investigators searched his office during the first phase of this broader corruption scandal. (politico.eu) ### What exactly are prosecutors alleging? The allegation is money laundering, not a vague ethics complaint. Investigators say Yermak took part in an organized group that laundered 460 million hryvnia — about $10.5 million — through elite residential construction near Kyiv. Ukrainian agencies did not publicly name him in their statement, which is normal under local practice, but local and international reporting identified him as the former presidential office head in question. (politico.eu) ### Where did that money supposedly come from? This is the key part. The Yermak suspicion sits inside the much bigger Energoatom corruption investigation, sometimes called Operation Midas. That case centers on allegations that officials and connected businessmen skimmed kickbacks from contracts at Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, Energoatom, then moved the proceeds through other channels. (politico.eu) Investigators have described the wider scheme as worth about $100 million. ### Why do luxury houses matter here? Because prosecutors say the real-estate projects were the washing machine. The allegation is that money from the Energoatom scheme was funneled into high-end housing developments outside Kyiv, including in the Kozyn area. (politico.eu) Basically, instead of cash just sitting in bags, it was turned into something that looked legitimate — expensive property. ### Is Yermak charged or just under investigation? He has been formally named a suspect, which is a serious procedural step in Ukraine but not a conviction. Yermak has denied wrongdoing in public comments and said he owns no mansions, only a flat and a car. The investigation is still moving, so this is the stage where prosecutors are saying they believe they have enough to accuse him formally. (politico.eu) ### Why is this politically explosive? Because this is no longer a scandal at the edges of government. It has touched people long seen as personally close to Zelenskyy, including businessman Timur Mindich and former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. That does not prove Zelenskyy himself was involved, but it raises the pressure on his office and on his promise that wartime unity would not become a shield for insiders. (politico.eu) ### Why are anti-corruption institutions part of the story too? Last year, as this same scandal grew, Ukraine’s parliament moved to strip NABU and SAPO of their independence, and the government later had to backtrack after protests. So the case is about two things at once — the alleged graft itself, and whether the institutions chasing it are actually free to keep going when the trail reaches the top. (politico.eu) ### What matters now? The next question is simple: does the case stay narrow, or does it climb higher? If prosecutors can push this forward against a former aide as powerful as Yermak, Ukraine gets to show that anti-corruption enforcement still works under wartime pressure. If the case stalls, the damage will not just be domestic — it will land with allies who fund and arm the country too. (politico.eu)