Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office and a central figure in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle, submitted his resignation on Friday after anti-corruption investigators searched his residence in Kyiv, officials said. The move marks a dramatic escalation in a widening probe into alleged corruption at senior levels of the Ukrainian state.
According to statements from Ukrainian authorities and reporting by international outlets, two anti-corruption bodies carried out searches of Yermak’s apartment earlier in the day. Yermak posted that he had given investigators full access to his property and said he was cooperating with the probe. He tendered his resignation amid mounting domestic pressure and intense public scrutiny.
The searches are linked to a broader investigation into alleged kickbacks and graft in Ukraine’s energy sector — centring on contracts at the state atomic energy company Energoatom — that investigators say involved millions of dollars. While Yermak has not been formally named as a suspect in public filings, the scandal has implicated a number of senior officials and former business associates and has prompted calls for accountability across government.
Yermak has been a key figure in Kyiv’s wartime leadership: a longtime Zelenskyy ally, he served as chief negotiator in high-profile diplomatic efforts and led the presidential office through years of conflict with Russia. His resignation comes at a delicate moment for Ukraine — as the government seeks to sustain international backing and press forward with peace diplomacy — and raises immediate questions about who will lead Kyiv’s negotiation team and manage presidential affairs.
Western and European partners have repeatedly tied continued diplomatic and financial support to Ukraine’s progress on anti-corruption reforms. Officials in Brussels and Washington have in recent months emphasised the importance of strong, independent probes; some EU and U.S. diplomats welcomed signs that Ukraine’s anti-graft institutions are active, even as the political fallout grows. Analysts say Yermak’s departure is likely to intensify debates in Kyiv about governance, oversight, and the balance between wartime expediency and reform.
The presidential office said Zelenskyy accepted the resignation and will announce a reorganization of the office to ensure continuity. Ukrainian media outlets reported that the resignation will necessitate rapid personnel changes ahead of planned diplomatic engagements in the coming days — including meetings tied to international efforts to stabilise the front and press for negotiated solutions.
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