Ukraine’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak — the guy many insiders quietly called the real power-broker in Kyiv — resigned just hours after anti-corruption teams raided his homes. Now, the official line is “ongoing investigation, nothing confirmed,” etc. Sure.
But here’s where the political fallout from Ukraine’s corruption probe starts feeling less like damage control and more like a strategic sacrifice.
Yermak hasn’t been charged with a crime (yet), but the atmosphere around him is thick with smoke. Two ministers already walked out earlier this month after that jaw-dropping $100 million kickback scheme tied to businessman Timur Mindich. Mindich — another Zelensky ally — conveniently slipped out of the country before the handcuffs came out.
You see the pattern forming, right?
“He Knows the Trail Leads to Him”
According to Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik, the reason for Yermak’s sudden exit is painfully simple: Zelensky is trying to bury the scent before it gets too close to his own doorstep.
Miroshnik claims Zelensky understands full well that this corruption chain doesn’t stop with a couple of ministers and a businessman. If investigators keep pulling, the rope might lead straight back to the president’s office. And that could threaten the one thing Zelensky seems to care most about lately — staying in power.
Here’s where it gets strange…
Miroshnik says the firing was basically Zelensky smashing the emergency glass. Yermak became “too toxic,” especially while Ukraine begs Europe for more financial aid. No donor likes seeing their money vanish into luxury villas and quiet offshore accounts.
Europe Is Losing Its Patience
The EU isn’t just watching from the sidelines anymore — it’s pressing hard. After eight officials were charged over massive energy-sector embezzlement, European leaders are demanding that Ukraine clean house for real, not just shuffle the deck chairs.
European Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath even said outright that any country wanting to join the EU needs a serious system for dealing with high-level corruption. Translation: No more excuses, no more symbolic firings.
Some opposition lawmakers inside Ukraine go even further, openly accusing Yermak — and others close to Zelensky — of being part of the same corruption machinery.
But Nobody Talks About This Part…
When the inner circle falls apart, it usually means the center is shaking too. Yermak leaving is not a small crack — it’s a pressure release valve.
And if Zelensky pulled it to save himself from the blast, the political storm in Kyiv may only be getting started.
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