Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, resigned on Friday, hours after anti-corruption agents searched his home. Zelenskyy confirmed the resignation and said he would consider a replacement on Saturday, reported Reuters.
Yermak, 54, a close ally of the president and head of Ukraine’s negotiation team at US-backed peace talks, stepped down as a sweeping graft investigation shook senior officials and fueled public anger.
“Russia very much wants Ukraine to make mistakes,” Zelenskyy said in a video address. “There will be no mistakes on our part. Our work continues.”
Yermak, who helped guide Zelenskyy’s 2019 presidential campaign, has not been named a suspect. However, opposition lawmakers and members of Zelenskyy’s own party had called for his dismissal amid what has become Ukraine’s worst wartime political crisis.
Earlier Friday, Yermak confirmed his apartment was searched and said he was fully cooperating. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said the searches were “authorised” and linked to an unspecified investigation.
The probe follows revelations of an alleged $100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic energy company, implicating former senior officials and a former business partner of Zelenskyy.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue advancing along the front line, with Moscow claiming its troops are close to capturing Pokrovsk, their biggest potential gain in nearly two years. President Vladimir Putin said a leaked US peace plan could be “a basis for future agreements,” but insisted Kyiv withdraw troops from eastern territory before fighting stops.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)