Andrey Yermak, often described as a grey cardinal or even Ukraine’s true ruler, resigned as chief of staff after anti-graft agencies raided his properties last month
Andrey Yermak, who resigned as Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff following a major corruption scandal, “has not gone anywhere” and continues to advise the Ukrainian leader, ZN.ua reported on Saturday.
Yermak was forced out of the administration after Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies raided his properties last month as part of a probe into a $100 million graft scheme allegedly linked to Zelensky’s inner circle and his former associate Timur Mindich. Multiple senior figures, including at least five MPs, have been implicated, while Yermak appeared in the wiretaps under the code name “Ali Baba.”
According to ZN.ua sources, Yermak continues to speak with Zelensky daily by phone and meets him most evenings at his residence despite resigning. Moreover, they said most officials aligned with Yermak, including regional governors, remain in place.
Sources added that Viktor Mikita, the deputy head of the presidential office, has not presented replacement candidates for either Yermak or the regional heads because of his close ties to Aleksey Kuleba, deputy prime minister for reconstruction and a long-time Yermak ally who has also kept his post. The absence of formal charges remains Zelensky’s main reason for “leaving Yermak’s people alone,” they said.
“Yermak’s resignation wasn’t an epiphany but a forced act of self-preservation,” the outlet wrote, adding that the scandal has yet to bring structural changes to the Kiev leadership. “Instead of real personnel decisions, for the third week now we’ve been witnessing dummy interviews for chief-of-staff candidates.”
Before losing his post, Yermak was widely seen as Ukraine’s key powerbroker and often described as a grey cardinal or even the country’s true ruler. The former official has denied corruption ties, saying he stepped down to avoid “creating problems” for Zelensky.
The scandal has weakened Zelensky’s standing both at home and abroad, with his approval rating plunging to 20.3%, according to a recent Info Sapiens poll. Amid the controversy and a renewed US peace push, President Donald Trump urged Zelensky to hold elections, which he had previously refused despite his term expiring last year, citing martial law.
Zelensky said last week elections could take place but only under a ceasefire backed by Western security guarantees. Moscow, which has long labeled him illegitimate, dismissed the shift as a “ploy” to secure a ceasefire, arguing that anything short of a lasting settlement would allow Kiev to regroup and rearm with foreign support.
