OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:19 PM – Friday, November 28, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the resignation of Andriy Yermak, his longtime chief of staff and the country’s most influential official after himself. The move came just hours after anti-corruption investigators searched Yermak’s residence and office in connection with a massive embezzlement probe.
“We don’t have a right to retreat or argue between ourselves. If we lose unity, we risk losing everything — ourselves, Ukraine, our future,” Zelenskyy said. “We must unite, we must hold on. We have no other choice. We won’t have another Ukraine.”
“To preserve our internal strength, there must be no reasons to be distracted at anything else except for defense of Ukraine,” he added. “I don’t want anybody to be questioning Ukraine, and that’s why we have today’s decisions,” Zelensky stated.
The Nature of the Investigation
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies, including the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), uncovered a scheme involving kickbacks, overpriced contracts, and laundering of funds at state-owned entities. The operation has spanned 15 months and implicated officials, contractors, and figures close to President Zelensky.
The investigation included over 1,000 hours of wiretap recordings, which captured officials using code names and discussing illicit transfers, with NABU releasing new snippets almost daily alongside court testimonies and seized documents. According to reports, funds meant to repair and shield Ukraine’s grid from Russian attacks were siphoned off, exacerbating the crisis for civilians and the war effort.
The probe has already forced the resignations of Energy Minister German Galushchenko and Justice Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk earlier this month, in addition to implicating a number of figures close to Zelensky’s circle.
Who is Andriy Yermak
Yermak, 54, the country’s lead negotiator in talks with the U.S, has served as head of the Presidential Office since February 2020 and was widely regarded as the second-most powerful figure in the country. A former film producer and lawyer with no prior political experience, he became Zelensky’s “gatekeeper,” overseeing everything from military appointments to high-level diplomacy.
The resignation caps weeks of mounting pressure on Yermak amid “Operation Midas,” a 15-month investigation by NABU and SAPO into the alleged theft of more than $100 million from Energoatom through rigged contracts and offshore laundering schemes.
Recent Developments
Early Friday morning, NABU detectives raided Yermak’s home inside the heavily guarded presidential compound in central Kyiv, as well as his office. Yermak himself confirmed the searches, writing online that he was fully cooperating and had granted investigators full access.
“The investigators are facing no obstacles,” Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Leaked wiretaps and documents obtained by the agencies suggest that the embezzlement occurred while Russian missile strikes were systematically destroying Ukraine’s power grid, leaving millions without electricity for extended periods.
Yermak’s departure is the highest-level ouster in Zelensky’s administration since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. It comes at a particularly sensitive moment, as Yermak had personally led Ukraine’s delegation in U.S.-brokered peace talks, including a November 23rd meeting in Geneva with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other American officials to discuss a proposal to end the war.
What Happens Next
The delegation will now be lead by Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, and Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s security council.
As Ukraine grapples with the fallout from Yermak’s abrupt resignation as head of the Presidential Office, Zelensky has yet to name a permanent replacement, leaving the role vacant amid ongoing peace talks and a deepening corruption scandal. Nonetheless, Zelensky also stated that he would begin consultations on Yermak’s successor on Saturday.
Response to the Resignation
In the U.S., among everyday Americans on social media, reactions leaned skeptical, with some MAGA-aligned users hailing it as proof of Ukrainian “corruption,” thus justifying aid cuts.
In Ukraine, opposition lawmakers and anti-corruption activists welcomed the resignation, but called it only a first step.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also quickly seized on the news, claiming it “once again confirms the illegitimate nature of the current regime in Kyiv.”
Peskov implied that the scandal validates Russia’s long-standing belief that Ukraine’s leadership is a kleptocratic puppet show that is unworthy of Western billions in support.
“Kleptocratic” describes a system where rulers use their power to steal from the public for personal gain, a form of government known as a kleptocracy. These regimes are characterized by high levels of corruption, weak rule of law, and a focus on self-enrichment over public welfare — often leading to financial crimes like embezzlement, bribery, and money laundering.
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