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Ukraine’s former chief of staff Andrii Yermak has been named as a suspect in a major graft probe that anti-corruption watchdogs described as involving alleged money laundering tied to a luxury construction project outside Kyiv. Two Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies said the alleged scheme involved 460 million hryvnias, equivalent to about $10.5 million, and described Yermak as a key figure brought under scrutiny for conduct connected to the case. The watchdogs also said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not under suspicion.
The move, while short of a formal charge, places Yermak—who once held one of the most consequential positions in wartime government planning—directly in the legal spotlight. He resigned in November, and AP reported that the investigation followed a scandal that the report described as the biggest threat to Zelenskyy’s government since Russia’s invasion began.
A Ukrainian court held the first hearing this week and, during proceedings described by AP, ordered Yermak held in pretrial detention. The court set bail at 140 million hryvnias, about $3.2 million, according to AP’s account of Thursday’s ruling.
According to the report, Yermak’s attorney called the notice of suspicion groundless and denied the former chief of staff’s involvement. The watchdogs alleged that the project was used to launder money through a network of shell companies, and they said Yermak and associates planned to build four private mansions and other luxury facilities.
During the first hearing, Yermak said he was innocent of the charge and told the court he owns “only one apartment and one car,” AP reported. The suspicion described by the watchdogs was also characterized as tied to a luxury construction project outside Kyiv, with investigators describing an alleged laundering mechanism rather than alleging straightforward bribery payments.
AP also described the political weight of Yermak’s former role. Yermak met Zelenskyy more than 15 years ago, when Zelenskyy was a television comedian and actor and Yermak was a lawyer who later moved into television production. Yermak oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelenskyy’s first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020, a post AP said gave him frequent influence as a gatekeeper to the president and as a figure commonly believed to have selected top government appointments, including prime ministers and ministers. AP reported Zelenskyy “deeply trusted” Yermak and took him on trips abroad since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
As for the broader case, AP said the suspected money laundering is part of a wider probe that watchdogs revealed last year. AP reported that the earlier investigation, publicized in November 2025, involved a roughly $100 million kickback scheme implicating officials and associates close to Zelenskyy, and that it prompted Yermak’s departure from the presidential administration. AP described that probe as including allegations that officials pressured contractors to pay up to 15% kickbacks in exchange for construction business connected to Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear energy company, and said it involved more than 1,000 hours of wiretaps of individuals using code names.
After that earlier scheme was made public, AP reported that Ukraine’s parliament approved Zelenskyy’s dismissal of the energy and justice ministers tied to the case, and that the president’s office imposed sanctions on close associates described as involved, including Tymur Mindich, a partner in a media production company that Zelenskyy co-owned before becoming president. AP said Mindich has reportedly fled the country, and that it remains for prosecutors to establish whether some of the funds Yermak is accused of laundering may have originated from the Energoatom scheme.
The investigation also carries potential political consequences even where Zelenskyy is not named as a suspect, AP reported. The case has drawn scrutiny toward credibility and governance at a time when Ukraine is seeking European Union accession and continuing to rely on Western support amid Russia’s war.
AP also said the probe has reached into individuals involved in peace negotiations with the United States, including Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Zelenskyy’s term officially ended in May 2024, but AP reported he has continued to govern without elections, saying they cannot be held while Russia occupies about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
The fact that Yermak—described as a central figure in Zelenskyy’s administration—has now been formally named as a suspect in the corruption probe means the investigation is moving closer to the president’s inner circle, AP said.