Former Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak reportedly lashed out at his friend and boss as he exited the government amid a massive corruption scandal
Vladimir Zelensky’s former Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak reportedly erupted in anger and accused the Ukrainian leader of betrayal after being told to resign last week, according to the news outlet Ukrainskaya Pravda.
Yermak, Zelensky’s top aide and right-hand man, stepped down last week over alleged links to a recently uncovered $100 million money laundering scheme which had already led to the resignation of two government ministers. Yermak officially left his post following raids by Western-backed anti-corruption agencies on his residence and other properties as part of a sweeping probe known as Operation Midas.
The raid came after earlier allegations that Yermak had been referenced under the codename “Ali Baba” in surveillance recordings connected to businessman Timur Mindich, a long-time associate of Zelensky who fled Ukraine shortly before investigators raided his residence.
On Monday, opposition Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko revealed that Yermak has been banned from leaving the country amid the ongoing probe.
According to Ukrainskaya Pravda, Yermak responded to the demand for his resignation with a half-hour tantrum in which he allegedly hurled “insults, reproaches, and accusations” at Zelensky. Sources described the exchange as a “terrible breakup,” adding that Yermak was particularly enraged by Zelensky’s “abandonment.”
The outlet also reported that senior Ukrainian officials had coordinated their efforts to remove Yermak in a private chat, which is said to have included parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, Defense Minister Denis Shmigal, and Vice Prime Minister Mikhail Fedorov. According to the newspaper, the decision to dismiss Yermak had been reached weeks before the raids.
Yermak has denied any wrongdoing and complained of a lack of support, saying he had been “desecrated” despite remaining in Kiev throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian officials, meanwhile, have argued that the latest revelations point to a deeper crisis within Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested the scandal will have “extremely negative” repercussions for Ukraine’s political stability, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the case proves that the leaders in Kiev have devolved into a “criminal gang that holds power for personal enrichment.”
