Zelensky under heavy pressure to fire Ukrainian ‘co-president’ Andriy Yermak after corruption scandal
Story by Brady Knox, Washington Examiner
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is under heavy domestic and international pressure to fire his right-hand man, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, after a massive corruption scandal.
Zelensky's government is embroiled in one of its worst domestic crises since the Russian invasion in February 2022, following accusations by Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, that Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelensky, is involved in large-scale corruption. Mindich and his associates were accused of siphoning $100 million in revenue from Energoatom, the state nuclear energy company. The affair, now dubbed " Mindichgate," is threatening a man so powerful that analysts have drawn historical parallels with Cardinal Richelieu, a figure from the French King Louis XIII's era.
Despite never being elected, Yermak has masterfully handled the intrigue in Kyiv to remain Zelensky's right-hand man. His secretive nature and unchecked power have made him enemies in all parts of the Ukrainian political scene, as well as numerous others in Brussels and Washington.
Over a dozen sources speaking with Politico last month said that the Trump and Biden administrations had quickly grown annoyed with Yermak due to his abrasive and demanding style. One source referred to him as a “bipartisan irritator.”
The current wave of pressure to oust Yermak, however, is unprecedented. High-level Ukrainian sources speaking with Politico and Ukrainska Pravda both hold that there's a high likelihood he could be removed as early as this week, with high-level meetings on Thursday set to be decisive.
Parliamentary sources told Ukrainska Pravda that Zelensky held meetings with the leaders of the ruling coalition over the past week, all of whom advised him to fire Yermak.
Zelensky under heavy pressure to fire Ukrainian ‘co-president’ Andriy Yermak after corruption scandal
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