Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s former chief of staff and once President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s closest aide, has appeared in a Kyiv court after being named as a suspect in a money-laundering investigation. Anti-corruption agencies say up to €9 million was laundered through a luxury housing project near Kyiv, while Yermak denies wrongdoing and says he cannot afford bail.
Court appearance in Kyiv
Andriy Yermak, the former chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appeared in court in Kyiv on Tuesday after Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies named him as a suspect in a money-laundering case, according to the BBC. Euronews reported that a Kyiv court later ruled Yermak should be detained for two months, with bail set at €2.7 million, while Yermak said he would remain in custody because he cannot pay.
As reported by Sasha Vakulina of Euronews, Yermak told journalists: “I don’t have that kind of money for bail. Right now, my lawyer will be working with friends and acquaintances. I deny any accusations. I have nothing to hide, and I will file an appeal.” Euronews also said Yermak and his lawyer, Ihor Fomin, described the accusations as “unfounded”.
The allegations
The BBC reported that Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, or SAP, has asked the court to impose preventive detention or set bail at about $4 million, while the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, NABU, said President Zelenskyy is not involved in the pre-trial investigation. The BBC said the wider inquiry concerns an alleged $100 million fraud scheme in Ukraine’s nuclear energy sector.
Euronews reported that NABU and SAP are investigating a scheme in which up to €9 million was laundered between 2021 and 2025 through the construction of a high-end residence complex in Kozyn, a wealthy suburb south of Kyiv. According to Euronews, one of the four houses funded through the alleged scheme was said to have been intended for Yermak.
Yermak’s position
The BBC said Yermak has not been formally charged, although he has been identified as a suspect at this stage. Euronews said he was named as a suspect on 11 May and could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
As reported by Sasha Vakulina of Euronews, Yermak’s camp blamed the case on “public pressure”, saying the anti-corruption agencies had been pushed to bring charges. The same report said Yermak rejected any wrongdoing and planned to appeal.
Zelenskyy and the wider fallout
The BBC reported that Yermak has been Zelenskyy’s closest adviser since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, and that the allegations have cast a shadow over Ukraine’s hopes of joining the European Union. Euronews said Zelenskyy has remained silent on the case and the allegations against Yermak, who had been regarded as the president’s most trusted ally and Ukraine’s “number two”.
NABU and SAP told Euronews that Zelenskyy
“has not been and is not currently involved in the investigation”,
which also concerns Oleksiy Chernyshov, a former deputy prime minister, and Timur Mindich, Zelenskyy’s former business partner. Euronews also said Yermak had previously served as Ukraine’s lead negotiator in talks with the United States and stepped down last autumn amid pressure linked to another anti-corruption investigation.
Anti-corruption drive
The BBC reported that the latest allegations are part of a broader probe into corruption in Ukraine’s energy sector, with investigators focusing on an alleged scheme involving state-owned enterprises. Euronews said the case has roiled the country and renewed scrutiny of how far the alleged corruption network may have reached.
As reported by the BBC, the anti-corruption bureau has also released excerpts from a wiretapped conversation and named six additional suspects in the wider investigation. The BBC further said the allegations have included claims linked to a high-end housing development known as “Dynasty” near Kyiv.
What comes next
The immediate question is whether the court will keep Yermak in custody while the case moves forward. For now, the case continues to grow into a major political problem for Zelenskyy’s administration, even as anti-corruption officials insist the president himself is not under investigation.
The reporting from the BBC and Euronews shows the same central development from slightly different angles: Yermak’s court appearance, the anti-corruption agencies’ money-laundering allegations, and the widening political impact inside Ukraine.
