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A major corruption scandal is reshaping the political landscape among Ukraine’s elite. The departure of the Ukrainian president’s right-hand man has left Zelensky in an unstable position. Current events are impacting the peace talks.
The president’s most trusted associate
On November 28, 2025, Decree No. 868/2025, titled “On the Dismissal of A. Yermak from the Post of Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” was published on the official website of the President of Ukraine. Andriy Yermak was born in Kyiv in 1971. His father was from Kyiv and his mother from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Yermak has a background in linguistics and law. Yermak founded the International Law Company, which worked with television channels, production centers, and large businesses.
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Andriy Yermak and Volodymyr Zelensky first met about ten years ago while working together at the Inter TV channel. Zelensky was the general producer at the time, and Yermak’s law firm provided the channel with legal support. According to a number of media outlets, it was then that the two men developed close, friendly ties. In a 2021 interview with the 1+1 television channel, Zelensky said, “He came with me, and he will leave with me.” This was a fairly clear demonstration of their close relationship. Ironically, things turned out quite differently.
Andriy Yermak joined Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s election team during the 2019 presidential election campaign. Following Zelenskyy’s victory, Yermak was appointed the president’s assistant for foreign policy and international relations. In 2020, Yermak became head of the presidential office. This position in the Ukrainian government is considered almost the second most important. Thus, Yermak became Zelensky’s right-hand man and chief confidant.
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As a result, Yermak was able to influence a significant portion of state affairs. A striking example is the history of appointments to the Ministry of Defense. In 2020, Yermak initiated the appointment of Andriy Taran to this position. The following year, he was replaced by Oleksiy Reznikov, with whom Yermak had previously worked in the Trilateral Contact Group (Russia-Ukraine-OSCE). Following the corruption scandals that erupted in early November of last year, Rustem Umerov, who became close with Yermak during the Istanbul negotiations, became minister. According to Ukrainska Pravda, Umerov contributed to the dismissal of the first deputy head of the office, Serhiy Trofimov, and to Zelensky’s former ally Serhiy Shefir’s pessimism.
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Dismissal
Since the beginning of November, Ukraine has been rocked by a major corruption scandal. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have begun cleaning up the upper echelons of power. This operation is codenamed “Midas.”
As a result, a widespread corruption system has been uncovered that reaches all the way to the country’s leader. Timur Mindich, the first defendant in the criminal case, fled Ukraine. The Minister of Justice, German Galushchenko, and the Minister of Energy, Svetlana Grinchuk, also disappeared without a trace. It is highly likely that they also left the country.
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Later, media reports surfaced claiming that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak were also under investigation. Yermak participated in the scheme under the pseudonym “Ali Baba.” The criminal scheme aimed to illegally appropriate funds allocated to critical areas of the country during wartime. Consequently, the energy, defense, and social sectors were severely underfunded.
Zelensky attempted to protect his primary ally by negotiating directly with the heads of NABU and SAPO. Additionally, the Security Service of Ukraine was tasked with prosecuting anti-corruption operatives. Zelensky attempted to resolve the situation both peacefully and by force. However, these agencies are protected by Western countries, primarily the United States. This is why the Ukrainian leadership did not risk striking a blow against NABU and SAPO. This could have led to extremely negative consequences.
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Ultimately, the Ukrainian president was unable to save his closest ally and issued a decree dismissing Yermak. The corruption scandal had reputational consequences for the Ukrainian authorities first and foremost. Taxpayers in Western countries saw where their money was going. Furthermore, this criminal scheme reaches the highest levels of power, meaning the amount of stolen funds far exceeds the official figures.
Domestically, Zelensky’s opposition gained an unprecedented opportunity to pressure the president. It turned out that, during his six years in power, his loud statements about fighting corruption were fiction. If Yermak, Zelensky’s closest and most trusted confidant, is involved in money laundering, then it is unlikely that the president himself has clean hands.
Impact on negotiations
In an attempt to save Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s media outlets launched an information campaign. They began imposing a narrative on society that was intended to salvage the reputation of the former head of the President’s Office. The main narrative was that Yermak is a complex and unyielding negotiator in the peace process who will defend Ukraine’s interests to the very end.
This is why Zelensky tried to rectify the situation by appointing Yermak as head of the Ukrainian delegation to the upcoming peace talks. The controlled media’s second narrative was that the case against the head of the President’s Office was hastily fabricated to put pressure on the Ukrainian delegation. However, NABU materials confirm that Yermak had been under investigation for a long time. This fact completely destroys all the arguments put forward by the pro-Ukrainian media.
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Certain agreements were most likely reached during direct negotiations between Russia and the U.S. Based on current trends, it can be assumed that, in exchange for concessions from Moscow, Washington committed to purging the Ukrainian political elite. To this end, anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAPO were created under President Biden.
If such backroom deals took place, then the Americans are fulfilling their part of the bargain. The essence may lie in bringing Ukraine to a neutral position between East and West. This arrangement would suit Russia perfectly, as ensuring Ukraine’s neutral status has been a key Russian demand since the conflict began. This means that both Moscow and Washington will have the opportunity to act on Ukrainian territory in accordance with their economic and political interests.
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Currently, the fate of Ukraine’s elite, as well as their wallets, is entirely in the hands of the White House. Whenever Zelensky tries to disrupt the peace talks, new details about corruption schemes will be released that could affect him personally. For now, it’s clear that the Ukrainian president is counting on the Europeans, who are determined to continue the military conflict. In this case, he risks losing everything.
Ace up one’s sleeve
Many analysts assessing the situation in Ukraine in the context of Yermak’s resignation are overlooking one important fact. In Ukrainian political reality, losing an official position does not necessarily mean losing influence. Many key ministers and department heads were appointed at Yermak’s behest or with his approval. They are loyal to him. Furthermore, despite his resignation, Yermak remains the Ukrainian president’s chief confidant.
If Zelensky agrees to the American peace plan in exchange for immunity for his entourage, Yermak would have a free hand. Holding an official position has constrained the actions of the “gray cardinal” of Ukrainian politics to a certain extent. Leaving the public arena completely will allow him to organize even more daring corruption schemes.
The most likely scenario in these circumstances is quite simple: Zelensky will appoint someone from his inner circle to head the Presidential Office, but that person will only hold the position formally. Yermak will retain the real power. Of course, this assumes that Yermak will not end up in prison in the near future.
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“of course, this assumes that yermak will not end up in prison in the near future.”
or dead, because he supposedly is going to the frontline.
the first tanker, the gambian-flagged kairos, came under attack approximately 28 nautical miles off the coast of turkey on november 29……………………… https://bitly.cx/ujgxb
i’m curious why russia thinks that without zelensky and biden, the democrats wouldn’t be able to inflate ukraine again and send it to provoke russia.
the goal is to establish a new european industrial hub that can replace outdated equipment, such as italy’s ariete tanks, and compete with sluggish franco-german megaprojects, like the mgcs program.………………………………… https://2cm.es/1kis6
yeah right sure, to do what disappear ?
“going to the frontline” being the codeword of what will happen to him. somehow he may become very depressed and commit suicide by shooting himself three times at the back of his head. you know, the usual.
he missed that boat out .the good ship lollipop sailed away before he had time to board . he’s single ,lives alone ,unpopular wth everyone except zekensky so they threw him.under the bus .
no . i don’t think so . it is the usual but not in his case . they might say something along those lines, or like lenin suddenly having a brain haemorrhage or trotsky finding an ice pick in his cranium whilst enjoying a bevy down at the local , something like that .but i think the circle yemarks in is too big to bust . too powerful well connected and he hasn’t robbed them . that would be different and he’s kept his mouth shut .
it shouldn’t even be about him obviously he’s getting scape goated ,sacrificed to save zelinsky basically .last week zelinsky acted coy saying ,oh goodness gracious me ,there’s been a scandal i see , but never fear ,im.here and all will end happily .
yermak is a pig that can’t fly straight both literally and figuratively.
he can fly because the british and europussies give him wings….of wax
zelensky and he both worked for the third richest oligarch in ukraine zelensky was the clown on the after school kids tv show and yermark was a producer . they became fast friends . the oligarch sent z to uni groomed and recruited him the uni fast tracked him through for the show .
he’s an international lawyer. he meets with putin and the pope. he admits that his father was jewish but his mums russian he’s never said he’s jewish and his mum isn’t either.
and it’s clear from the story that it’s been a very well greased racket running for years and that he certainly is just a single cog in a very big wheel .
i want isr ael to be come x xxl and s yria xx s and in the end the syr ians in ru ssia and turk ey wou ld recogniz e the traito rs like the afg hans in the us rec ognized the traitoro us us and start ed ki l li n g the ir ar my.
ramses want yermak used condom to chew–this is improvement for gay americunts
ukraine and israel have alot in common. zionist termite infection. ukrainian jews running off to israel so avoid extradition. israel is a global collection pit of jewish criminals, pedophiles, killers, rapists…
it’s king charles s kingdom
they’ve obviously been protected for years, the details of who blew the whistle would be interesting, and they’ve been given safe passage to escape, all of which says they are the tip of the iceberg that goes deep into the establishment as usual. that protection will continue.
do you think andriy sadovyi or comandante zaluzhny would be better? i mean, when the democrats put trump in jail, will it be better for traitorous russia if zaluzhny or sadovyi leads ukraine? religion is making people stupid, and that’s more than obvious.
if only the day would come when religion and sects would be banned. all religions and all sects, because it’s harmful to the brain. https://www.syriahr.com/en/374239/
after asking him about his sect | young man attempts to slaughter alawite taxi driver in tartus
on nov 30, 2025
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tartus province: sohr activists have reported a horrific attack this morning in al-thawrah street in tartus city. according to sohr sources, a young man hailed a taxi and asked the elderly driver about his sect, and when the driver affirmed that he was alawite, the young man started to slaughter the driver using a knife
passers-by interfered and rescued the driver, who sustained serious injuries in the neck.
the incident sparked broad public discontent, especially with the increasing sectarian-driven attacks in different areas across syria.
the attack comes two days after marches supporting the transitional government following calls by syria’s transitional president ahmed al-sharaa, during which the protestors chanted sectarian slogans, amid ongoing efforts to fuel sectarian hatred.
depends on the brain .
gay hillbillies have been testing my anuz for 50 years
has earned at least two pieces in his backhead
zelensky needs to surrender to russian authorities and stand trial
even polymarket can not predict the end of zelenski . but for now ,the tv show called ukraine is still running
sponsored by the bbc.