Zelenskyy’s Former Chief of Staff Named Suspect in Expanding Ukraine Corruption Scandal

Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have formally named former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak as a suspect in a major money-laundering investigation linked to an alleged USD 100 million corruption network surrounding the state nuclear energy company Energoatom, intensifying pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle .

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said Yermak is suspected of participating in an organised group that allegedly laundered about 460 million hryvnias (around USD 10.5 million) through elite real-estate developments near Kyiv, including luxury housing projects in Kozyn.

Investigators say the case forms part of the broader anti-graft probe known as “Operation Midas,” launched after a 15-month investigation into alleged kickbacks in Energoatom contracts. Authorities claim suppliers were pressured to pay commissions of 10 to 15 per cent in exchange for contracts and payments.

Several high-profile figures have reportedly been implicated in the investigation, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, former Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, businessman Timur Mindich and Energoatom executive Dmytro Basov.

Yermak, once considered Zelenskyy’s most influential aide and Ukraine’s lead negotiator with the United States, resigned in November after investigators searched his residence. He has denied wrongdoing, while his lawyer called the allegations politically motivated and unfounded.

The scandal poses a serious challenge for Ukraine as it seeks closer Western support and eventual membership in the European Union, where corruption concerns remain a major obstacle.