【By Observer News, Chen Sijia】 Recently, the corruption scandal in Ukraine has continued to escalate, with several close allies and former business partners of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy being involved. According to Reuters on November 28, Ukrainian anti-corruption officials conducted a surprise search of the home of Andriy Yermak, the head of the President's Office, on that day. Yermak announced his resignation a few hours later.

Zelenskyy confirmed in a video speech on the evening of the 28th that he had approved Yermak's resignation letter, and he would consider a new head of the presidential office on the 29th local time. Zelenskyy called on the Ukrainian people to remain united: "Russia hopes Ukraine makes mistakes, but we will not make mistakes. Our work continues, our struggle continues."

Yermak was also Ukraine's chief negotiator, leading the delegation in negotiations with the US and Russia. Zelenskyy thanked Yermak for his role in the negotiations and announced that the negotiation team would be led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, General Staff Chief Andriy Gnatov, and Foreign Minister Andriy Yermak.

At 54 years old, Yermak was the producer-in-chief of Zelenskyy before he entered politics. He helped Zelenskyy win the 2019 election and has served as the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office since 2020.

Yermak and Zelenskyy IC photo

The Financial Times pointed out that Yermak might be the most powerful non-elected political figure in Ukraine to date. He participated in drafting peace proposals, led foreign affairs, selected cabinet officials, and made military decisions. Some Ukrainians and Western officials compared him to a vice president, even calling him "acting like a head of state."

An ambassador from a Western country once described Yermak's position: "He is the president, the prime minister, and the foreign minister... he is all the ministers combined."

On the local time of November 28, Ukrainian anti-corruption officials conducted a surprise search of Yermak's residence. The Ukrainian anti-corruption agency did not specify which investigation the search was related to, and Yermak was not listed as a suspect. However, Ukrainian activists, opposition MPs, and some members of the ruling party "Servant of the People" called for Yermak to be removed from his post.

MP of the Servant of the People Party, Mykita Porturayev, called for reforms in the Ukrainian government and the presidential office. He believed that Yermak's resignation occurred at a "dangerous moment," but it was necessary, saying, "The potential harm of keeping Yermak in place outweighs these risks."

The corruption scandal in Ukraine continues to escalate. On local time November 10, the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Prosecutor's Office for Corruption announced on social media that they found current and former officials of the energy ministry and businessmen formed a "large criminal group" that received kickbacks of 10% to 15% from contractors of the state nuclear power company, with money laundering amounts identified nearly $1 billion.

The Kyiv Independent reported that the corruption case involves several close allies and former business partners of Zelenskyy, with eight suspects already indicted. The Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau accused Zelenskyy's close ally, businessman Mintsykh, as the mastermind of this corruption case, but Mintsykh has fled the country.

Ukraine seeks to join the EU, and fighting corruption is one of the core requirements for Ukraine's application for membership. Zelenskyy is trying to prove to Western countries that he is eliminating corruption and is calling for more military aid from the West. The Financial Times believes that Yermak's resignation at this critical moment may weaken the Ukrainian government.

Yermak's resignation may also affect the negotiations between the US, Russia, and Ukraine. A source revealed that Yermak had planned to visit the US this weekend to discuss the next steps in advancing a peace agreement with the Trump administration's team, but the meeting has been canceled.

While the US continues to pressure Ukraine to sign a peace agreement, Russia is slowly advancing on the front lines. Russian forces have entered the key town of Pokrovsk (Red Army City) in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, and President Putin announced on the 27th that Pokrovsk has been completely surrounded, with 70% of the area under Russian control.

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