Anti-corruption units raid home and offices of Zelensky's chief of staff

KIEV

Anti-corruption units on Nov. 28 raided the home and office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak.

Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine said they searched Yermak’s office. Yermak, a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key participant in talks with the United States, confirmed they also searched his apartment.

“The investigators are facing no obstacles,” Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram. He added that he was cooperating fully with them and his lawyers were present.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs. They are behind a major investigation into a $100 million energy sector corruption scandal involving top Ukrainian officials.

Two of Yermak’s former deputies, Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma, left the government in 2024 after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, was investigated for bribes and other wrongdoing but still works for Yermak.

The scandal has heaped more problems on Zelensky as he seeks continued support from Western countries for Ukraine’s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told Zelensky he must crack down on graft.

Zelensky faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after investigators published details of their energy sector investigation.

Although Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing, several senior lawmakers in Zelensky’s party said Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle in order to restore public trust. Some said that if Zelensky didn’t fire him, the party could split, threatening the president’s parliamentary majority. But Zelensky defied them.