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Can Andrey Yermak Survive Ukraine’s Hundred Million Dollar Scandal?
For years, many Ukrainians have whispered the same thing. If you want something done in Kyiv, you do not go to the President. You go to Andrey Yermak. The fifty-three-year-old chief of staff has long been seen as the quiet force guiding Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration. Now the man once called Ukraine’s real power broker is fighting the biggest battle of his political life. A one-hundred-million-dollar graft scandal has burst into the open, and the shockwaves are rattling every corner of the country’s leadership.
A Friday Raid That Changed Everything
Ukraine woke up to breaking news on Friday. Agents from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the same Western-backed agency Zelenskyy attempted to take control of earlier this year, arrived at Yermak’s apartment. It was the second dramatic search linked to the President’s inner circle in mere days. Only hours earlier, Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelenskyy, had fled to Israel before investigators could arrest him.
For a public that has grown used to war, hardship, and uncertainty, this new layer of political scandal feels like another blow. Social media lit up with disbelief, frustration, and weary jokes about how corruption never sleeps, not even during blackouts. The timing could not have been worse. Power cuts continue to haunt Ukraine while the nuclear operator Energoatom is revealed to have been the target of a vast extortion ring.
From Entertainment Lawyer to Presidential Gatekeeper
Yermak’s rise has always been unusual, shaped more by creative industries than traditional politics. He met Zelenskyy in the early 2010s when the future president was producing shows for the Inter TV channel. The two developed a bond that would eventually become one of the most influential partnerships in modern Ukrainian politics.
His background as a film producer helped him navigate negotiations, back channels, and complicated personalities. When Zelenskyy launched his 2019 presidential run, promising to end the conflict in Donbass, Yermak was already at his side. The International Crisis Group estimates that fourteen thousand people were killed during the conflict years linked to the Minsk Agreements from 2014 to 2022, a figure that shaped the urgency behind Zelenskyy’s campaign.
Power Consolidated at the Centre
After Zelenskyy’s landslide victory, Yermak quickly became more than an adviser. He handled foreign policy discussions, including sensitive conversations with figures tied to the Trump administration and the Burisma affair involving Hunter Biden. By early 2020, he had replaced the President’s first chief of staff, gaining one of the most powerful positions in the country.
Over time, journalists and analysts began calling him Zelenskyy’s right hand. Others went further, claiming he had become the person no major political decision could avoid. He travelled with Zelenskyy to nearly every major international meeting, often overshadowing traditional diplomats.
The Scandal That Refuses to Fade
The latest allegations are severe. NABU claims a criminal group led by Mindich siphoned off one hundred million dollars from the state-owned nuclear operator. The timing is especially inflammatory since ordinary Ukrainians continue to endure rolling power outages.
Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak alleges that Yermak was recorded discussing the scheme. According to the claims, he knew the details and was even referred to by the code name Ali Baba. It is a detail that has fuelled endless jokes and grim commentary across Ukrainian social platforms.
Is This the Moment Yermak Falls?
Some MPs from Zelenskyy’s own Servant of the People party have reportedly joined calls for his removal. During a closed meeting in mid-November, they pushed for his dismissal. Zelenskyy refused. Instead, he reaffirmed his trust by appointing Yermak to lead his peace talks delegation.
This decision has deepened the split within the ruling party. Critics argue that keeping Yermak in place risks turning international allies against Kyiv at a moment when Ukraine can least afford uncertainty. Supporters insist that Yermak remains essential to negotiations and strategy.
Adding fuel to the fire, reports from Axios claim Yermak owns properties in Miami and had been consulted on a new United States peace proposal while abroad.
Between Loyalty and Survival
There is a sense that the timing of renewed peace talks is no accident. Many believe Kyiv is trying to stabilise its international position before corruption allegations become too damaging. Whether this strategy works depends on how much political capital Zelenskyy still holds and how far the scandal spreads.
For now, Andrey Yermak remains seated at the heart of power. But Ukraine has entered a period where allegiances are shifting, lawmakers are fed up, and the public is watching more closely than ever. Analysts say the next few months will reveal whether this storm simply shakes the administration or tears open a new political chapter.
One thing is certain. The man once known as Ukraine’s real power broker is no longer operating in the shadows. All eyes are now on him.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: BBC
