Kyiv, Ukraine – In a dramatic turn of events, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the immediate resignation of his longtime chief of staff and closest advisor, Andriy Yermak, on Friday, November 28, 2025. The decision came just one day after anti-corruption investigators raided Yermak’s residence in Kyiv’s heavily guarded government quarter, marking the first time in Ukraine’s modern history that the home of such a senior presidential official has been searched.
Yermak, widely regarded as the most powerful figure in Ukrainian politics after Zely Zelensky himself, had served as head of the Office of the President since February 2020. He was also Ukraine’s lead negotiator in critical peace talks with the United States aimed at ending nearly four years of full-scale war with Russia. His abrupt departure represents a major blow to Zelensky at one of the most delicate moments of the conflict.
The raid on Yermak’s apartment was carried out on Thursday morning, November 27, by detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). It forms part of a widening investigation into alleged multimillion-dollar embezzlement involving Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company Energoatom and inflated wartime procurement contracts. While Yermak has not been formally charged and cooperated fully with investigators, the optics of the search at the very heart of power have stunned the nation.
_1764356641.jpg)
In a somber video address delivered Friday evening, Zelensky confirmed Yermak’s resignation and expressed gratitude for his service, particularly in representing Ukraine’s interests during high-stakes international negotiations. The president stressed the need for absolute unity at a time when Russia is waiting for any sign of internal weakness.
“We don’t have a right to retreat or argue between ourselves,” Zelensky said. “If we lose unity, we risk losing everything: ourselves, Ukraine, our future. We must unite, we must hold on. We have no other choice. We won’t have another Ukraine.”
Significantly, Yermak’s name was conspicuously absent from the official list of Ukrainian officials announced to participate in the next round of talks with the United States, confirming that his exit from the negotiation process is immediate and complete.
For years, Zelensky had staunchly resisted domestic and international pressure to remove Yermak despite persistent allegations of excessive influence, interference in judicial matters, and protection of corrupt networks. Critics inside and outside Ukraine had labeled him an “unelected shadow president.” His resignation therefore represents a rare concession by Zelensky to mounting political and public outrage over corruption scandals, even as the country fights for survival.
The timing could not be worse. Ukraine is currently engaged in intensive U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and long-term peace framework before the end of 2025. Recent progress in Geneva and Abu Dhabi had brought the sides closer than at any point since the war began, with Ukraine reluctantly accepting core elements of a revised American proposal. Yermak had been the central figure coordinating Kyiv’s strategy and maintaining direct lines to senior Trump administration officials. His sudden removal introduces uncertainty and potential disruption at the precise moment when cohesion and trust are most needed.
As winter approaches and Russian forces continue slow but steady advances in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, Ukraine faces not only military pressure but also growing war fatigue among its Western backers. The European Union has repeatedly tied further integration and financial assistance to demonstrable progress on anti-corruption reforms. Thursday’s raid and Friday’s resignation will therefore be viewed in Brussels and Washington as both a crisis and a possible turning point.
Zelensky has promised an immediate “reset” of the Presidential Office and said consultations on Yermak’s successor will begin Saturday. Potential candidates include Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and deputy head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yakovlev, though none possess Yermak’s combination of personal loyalty to the president and deep institutional control.
For Zelensky personally, the departure of his most trusted lieutenant is a profound loss. The two men have been political partners since 2018, when Yermak, a successful entertainment lawyer and film producer, helped orchestrate Zelensky’s landslide presidential victory. Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Yermak has been at Zelensky’s side during every major decision, from the defense of Kyiv to the mobilization of international support.
Yet the scandal now engulfing his inner circle threatens to undermine public confidence at a time when Zelensky’s own approval ratings have fallen below 50% for the first time since the early months of the war. Opposition voices and reformist factions within Zelensky’s own Servant of the People party have seized on the moment to demand broader changes.
As Ukraine heads into what may be the decisive diplomatic and military winter of the conflict, the dramatic fall of Andriy Yermak serves as both a warning and a watershed. Whether it strengthens Zelensky’s hand by finally addressing long-standing corruption concerns, or weakens it by removing his most capable operator, will become clear in the coming weeks.
For now, the message from the presidential office is unequivocal: in the face of existential threat, internal scandals cannot be allowed to fracture national resolve. Yet the raid on the home of the country’s most powerful official has already done precisely that, and the political aftershocks will be felt far beyond Kyiv.
