The End of the Yermak Era: Who Will Become Zelenskyy's New "Close Ally" After He Was Sent to the Front? Trump Removes the Last Lifeline of the Kyiv Regime
Photo (from right to left): Vladimir Zelenskyy and Andriy Yermak, former head of the President's Office of Ukraine.
According to a decree issued by Vladimir Zelenskyy and his video speech, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, has been removed from his position.
Just before this — more accurately, in the morning of that day — investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NAZK) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) conducted a search on Yermak. Previously, it was reported that Yermak's name appeared in the investigation of the "Midas" case. This case involves a corruption conspiracy centered around the Ukrainian State Nuclear Energy Company ("Energoatom"), and the investigation believes that the organizer of this conspiracy is businessman and close ally of Zelenskyy, Tymur Mintsyky.
Mintsyky has successfully fled Ukraine, but can Yermak escape? What is known so far is that after the search, no one has informed him about the allegations of criminal activity against him yet.
But this situation could change at any time. Will Zelenskyy protect him? Or will he choose self-preservation, fearing that Yermak might expose him? Now, with his term being effectively meaningless, will this "president" become more cooperative when facing Americans? The answer is undoubtedly yes — after all, until recently, Yermak was considered an "unshakable figure"...
"Before Zelenskyy's position became so fragile and precarious, Yermak did seem unshakable," said political analyst Kirill Ozimko confidently.
"First, the head of the Kyiv regime tried to blame all the corruption scandals on those around him, in order to save himself. The logic is: 'The president is good, the problem lies with the officials, they caused all the problems, so the wise president would punish and fire them.'
Secondly, this move indicates that the United States is taking a stronger stance to pressure Kyiv, aiming to force it to accept the American peace plan. And Zelenskyy's actions show that he is ready to make some concessions for this."
"In your opinion, is the dismissal of Yermak his own decision or the result of Zelenskyy's insistence?" asked the newspaper 'Svoboda' (SP).
"Firing Yermak is more in Zelenskyy's interest, so this decision is more likely made by this 'former comedian' (note: Zelenskyy used to be a comedian, here it carries a derogatory meaning), not Yermak himself. The anti-corruption agencies have already tightly targeted Yermak, even searching his home in Kyiv. Zelenskyy's move is precisely to sacrifice his associates."
"Does his resignation mean immunity from prosecution? Can he leave Ukraine smoothly? Or will he try to become a 'shadow power figure' in Ukrainian politics?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"No, resignation does not grant him immunity, but it also does not impose restrictions on him. He is currently not a suspect, only a person involved in the case who is being questioned. There is currently no information indicating that he has signed a document prohibiting his departure from the country.
Legally speaking, he can still leave Ukraine at present. However, if the investigative authorities change his status to 'suspect', they will impose certain restrictions on him."
"Who will come next? Will Zelenskyy completely cut ties with Yermak, or will he be forced to hand over everyone, eventually leading to his own downfall?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"It is hard to say who will come next. But the US definitely has dirt on Zelenskyy himself, which can be used to force this 'Nazi regime' (note: the original text contains strong derogatory language) leader in Kyiv to comply.
But don't expect the West to force Zelenskyy to step down in the near future — a power vacuum in Ukraine would lead to a complete collapse on the front lines, and the Kyiv regime would quickly and thoroughly fail."
"How important is Yermak in the foundation of the Ukrainian regime? Will the entire regime collapse because of his resignation? Who might be appointed to replace his position?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"He is indeed important, but his resignation will not cause a fatal blow to the Kyiv regime. Only when there is a large-scale wave of resignations involving key powerful departments will a power vacuum occur. As for Yermak's position, it will eventually be taken over by someone from Zelenskyy's core circle."
"At the time of Yermak's resignation, there were reports that Kyiv took a firm stance on the issue of Trump's peace plan, refusing to accept key terms. Now will Zelenskyy become more cooperative? Will the US force him to accept the plan?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"Zelenskyy's decisions largely depend on the attitude of the US. The fact that the head of the Kyiv regime had to resort to such despicable methods as betraying his comrades and close allies shows that the Trump administration is increasingly pressuring Kyiv through corruption scandals, aiming to force it to fully agree to this peace plan.
If Zelenskyy realizes that the EU cannot help him keep power, the cooperation of Kyiv will significantly increase. Currently, Europe is the last support for the Kyiv regime, and it is thanks to European support that Zelenskyy dares to continue resisting strongly."
"Indeed, many people, including myself, once doubted whether Yermak could resign." said Larysa Shevchenko, chairperson of the Union of Ukrainian Political Exiles and Political Prisoners.
"But this event ultimately happened. It was most likely due to external factors, that is, the pressure from the West, which overcame Zelenskyy and Yermak's stubborn resistance — even though the entire power structure of the Zelenskyy regime was built on Yermak's support.
I think this decision was not made by Yermak or Zelenskyy, but by the West. Because Yermak is probably no longer accepted by Western donors, especially the United States.
Yes, pressuring Yermak through the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is likely one of the means used by the West to force Zelenskyy to cooperate — in order to make Zelenskyy appear more obedient in supporting Trump's peace plan."
"Will Yermak try to flee Ukraine?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"I think, for Yermak, Ukraine is currently the safest place. If he flees to the West, he will actually be completely under the control of external forces, and may be accused of corruption at any time, even handed over to the US.
In that case, he would be punished like the former Prime Minister Lazarenko (note: former Ukrainian Prime Minister, who was sentenced in the US for corruption). But in Ukraine, I think he still has some support forces, and Zelenskyy will try to avoid making him a 'sacrifice'."
"Who else might Zelenskyy sacrifice? Would the Americans be satisfied with that?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"Yermak was a core figure, and no one else can have the same influence as him. Whether it's ministers, officials, or military personnel, compared to Yermak, they are just secondary figures.
Zelenskyy's sacrifice of these people will not bring him any loss. But Yermak belongs to a special category within the Ukrainian leadership. He did have unlimited power. No wonder many people say that Zelenskyy is not a dictator, 'Yermak is the real dictator.'
I think firing Yermak is one of the bargaining chips in Zelenskyy's negotiations with the US. Zelenskyy might say: 'You see, I have met your demands, I have fired the person you are dissatisfied with.' But in fact, no one can eradicate corruption and greed, and the Americans can't either.
No matter who replaces Yermak, the level of corruption will not be less than his. Now, Zelenskyy's 'backup candidate pool' is actually very limited — too many of his close allies have been deeply involved in corruption scandals and have a bad reputation. Therefore, he is now likely to appoint a symbolic figure, in order to show the outside world that the new appointee is unrelated to any corruption conspiracy, and that Zelenskyy himself is also disassociating himself from it."
"Now will the US force Zelenskyy to approve Trump's plan?" asked 'Svoboda' (SP).
"I think Zelenskyy will not fully agree to Trump's plan — this would mean political death for him. He clearly knows that any form of ceasefire will end his personal power. Therefore, he will continue to delay and maneuver, and will also raise demands that Russia cannot accept. He dares to do this because the US actually does not understand the core positions of Russia that will never compromise.
Trump always thinks that all problems can be solved through negotiations, and that there are no principled issues that cannot be resolved through exchanges of interests. But in fact, there are indeed some insurmountable core principle issues in this conflict in Ukraine. Zelenskyy is unwilling to compromise, and he wants to continue this conflict.
And his Western allies are helping him — these countries also want to continue pressuring Russia and escalating the military conflict."
Latest News
Yermak said in an interview with the 'New York Post' that he plans to go to the front line and is prepared to face any form of "persecution."
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7578053062774850084/
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