(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) One of the top Ukrainian officials leading peace talks with Russia abruptly resigned Friday after government investigators raided his home in a massive corruption probe.
Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief aide, had been a central figure in negotiations and regularly appeared in high-level meetings with world leaders.
In fact, he was scheduled to travel to Florida to meet with Trump officials to further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, two countries at war since 2022.
The raid was conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, two agencies independent of Zelenskyy’s government, according to the New York Post.
Zelenskyy immediately sought to downplay the search, claiming Yermak resigned to clear confusion among Ukrainians.
In a Ukrainian-language video, Zelenskyy said that he was “grateful to Andriy for always representing Ukraine’s positions on the negotiation track exactly as it should be represented.”
He clarified that he wanted “to eliminate any rumors and speculation.”
Russia is eager for Ukraine to make mistakes. We won’t make any. Our work goes on. Our struggle goes on. We have no right to fall short, no right to retreat or turn on one another. If we lose our unity, we risk losing everything – ourselves, Ukraine, and our future. We must stand… pic.twitter.com/EQ3Pu7R9Q5
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 28, 2025
Meanwhile, in an interview with the New York Post, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishya claimed Yermak resigned to “cut off speculations” and that no “procedural action” followed the raid.
The Zelenskyy administration has long faced accusations of deep corruption, with Ukrainian officials admitting in interviews with U.S. media that the problem runs from the top down.
The raid targeting Yermak’s home came as members of Zelenskyy’s inner circle faced accusations of siphoning off and laundering $100 million from Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear power company, as reported by the leftist New York Times.
At the center of the scheme is Timur Mindich, co-owner of a television studio founded by Zelenskyy. Anti-corruption officials also identified Oleksiy Chernyshov, a former deputy prime minister under Zelenskyy, as having received $1.3 million.
