Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned.
“I am grateful to Andriy for always presenting the Ukrainian position in the negotiation track exactly as it should be. It has always been a patriotic position,” Zelenskyy said. “But I want there to be no rumors and speculation.”
“Russia very much wants Ukraine to make mistakes,” he added. “There will be no mistakes on our part. Our work continues.”
The announcement comes as the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s (SAP) office conducted “investigative searches at premises of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” NABU wrote in a Facebook post. “Investigative actions are authorized and carried out within the scope of the investigation.”
Yermak confirmed the investigation. “Today, NABU and SAP are indeed conducting procedural actions at my home. There are no obstacles for the investigators. They were provided with full access to the apartment, on site—my lawyers, who are interacting with the law enforcement officers. From my side—full cooperation,” he said in a Telegram post.
The investigation centers on an energy-related plot involving embezzlement. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy said in a video statement, “There must be maximum integrity in the energy sector, in absolutely all processes. I support – and the Prime Minister supports – every investigation carried out by law enforcement and anti-corruption officials. This is an absolutely clear and consistent position for everyone.”
“It is absolutely unacceptable that, amid all this, there are also some schemes in the energy sector. I will sign a decree to impose sanctions on two individuals implicated in the NABU case concerning Energoatom,” he added.
