Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigns and heads to the front lines amid corruption probe

Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, announced his intention to go to the front lines a few hours after submitting his resignation.

According to the New York Post, Yermak communicated this decision in a letter sent to its editors.

In the letter, Yermak stated, “I am going to the front and am ready for any pressure. I am an honest and honorable person.”

“My honor was damaged, they did not defend me”

The newspaper reported that Yermak did not specify when exactly he would go to the front line or whether he planned to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In his letter, Yermak included the following statements:

“Although I have been in Kyiv since February 24, 2022, my honor has been damaged and was not defended. Therefore, I do not want to create problems for Zelenskyy; I am going to the front. I am disgusted by the filth directed at my name and, even worse, the lack of support from those who know the truth.”

Resignation decision came after corruption investigation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Yermak had submitted his resignation letter on November 28.

This development occurred after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) conducted a search of Yermak’s apartment on the same day as part of a corruption investigation.

Yermak stated that he provided investigators with full access to his home and cooperated with them.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna, told the New York Post that “no legal action was taken after the searches.”

According to Stefanishyna, Yermak decided to resign “to end the speculation.”

New delegation will serve in negotiations

Yermak played a key role in the negotiations with the US regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine and led the Ukrainian delegation in these talks.

According to Zelenskyy’s statement, Ukraine will now be represented in the upcoming negotiations by the Chief of the General Staff, the Head of the National Security and Defense Council, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and intelligence agencies.

According to Bloomberg, the Ukrainian delegation included Rustem Umerov, Head of the National Security and Defense Council, and Sergiy Kyslytsya, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Axios reporter and CNN analyst Barak Ravid noted that Lieutenant General Andriy Hnatov, Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine, and representatives of Ukrainian intelligence would also participate in the negotiations.

The Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll reported that Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, was also included in the delegation.

Energoatom is at the center of the investigation

The investigation that prompted the searches is linked to an embezzlement case at the company Energoatom.

According to NABU, the corruption scheme is headed by Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelenskyy, with high-ranking officials among the potential beneficiaries.

The name of Umerov, who was questioned as a witness on November 25, was also mentioned in the case files.

During the investigation, there were calls from within Zelenskyy’s inner circle for Yermak’s dismissal to restore public trust, but the president had previously refused to take this step.

The Energoatom case had previously led to the dismissal of the ministers of energy and justice and has become the largest corruption investigation in Ukraine in recent years.