Ukrainian authorities have named Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption investigation, a move likely to pile pressure on the president’s office at a sensitive moment in the war with Russia.
Kyiv’s political class was rocked by a wide-ranging probe last year that had fuelled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelenskyy’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign.
In a statement on Monday, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies said the “former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine” was among those suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered about $10.5m through an elite housing development outside the capital, Kyiv.
The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with Ukrainian law, but he was widely identified by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment further.
The case is part of a broader inquiry into high-level graft first unveiled last November, when a former Zelenskyy business partner was accused of running a $100m kickback scheme at the state atomic agency.
A former deputy prime minister and close associate of Zelenskyy’s was also charged as part of the investigation.
Zelenskyy’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters it was too early to comment on the suspicion against Yermak because procedural actions were still ongoing.
Yermak was widely seen as Ukraine’s second most powerful person after Zelenskyy, wielding outsize influence across much of Ukrainian politics despite holding an unelected position.
The former film producer and entertainment lawyer frequently appeared at the president’s side at public events, and had also been Kyiv’s lead negotiator in US-backed peace talks with Russia.
His resignation last year came amid a broader government shake-up aimed at restoring trust in the president’s office, which has been shadowed by allegations of centralised power.