Zelenskyy’s right hand resigns amid corruption scandal

Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s most powerful official after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the longest-serving head of the Presidential Office (OP) in the country’s modern history, tendered his resignation on 28 November. Hours later, Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing him and, in a late-evening video address, declared the start of a comprehensive “reboot” of the President’s Office.

“Andriy Yermak has resigned. This is the first step in the reboot of the Office of the President,” Zelenskyy said. He thanked his long-time ally for his work, stressing that Yermak had “patriotically and as it should be” represented Ukraine in international negotiations.

“Everyone must now act in the interests of our state and defend Ukraine. This is an unchanging principle,” the president added, urging Ukrainians not to spread rumours and announcing that consultations on a successor would begin today, 29 November.

The resignation came the same day that detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) searched Yermak’s residence in Kyiv.

Yermak confirmed the search but has not publicly commented on his departure. No charges have been brought against him.

A long-brewing crisis

Pressure on Yermak had been mounting for months. In summer 2025, street protests accused the Presidential Office of interfering with anti-corruption bodies. Two weeks ago, during a closed-door meeting of the ruling Servant of the People faction with Zelenskyy, a group of MPs directly demanded Yermak’s dismissal. Investigative reports, including those linked to the so-called “Operation Midas” case overseen by NABU, had repeatedly named individuals in Yermak’s circle.

Graft scandal rocks Ukraine’s leadership

Investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach of Ukrainska Pravda told Suspilne on Friday night: “A year ago it was impossible to imagine NABU and SAPO conducting searches at such a person’s home. The fact that these searches took place means they were properly justified and grounded. According to law-enforcement sources, Andriy Yermak is part of the NABU-SAPO investigation, and the searches may be connected with Operation Midas.”

Reaction inside the ruling party

David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, immediately backed the president: “We need to be strong inside the country to have a strong position outside. […] Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown that the interests of the country come first for him. He will not allow Ukraine to be weakened either from outside or from within.”

Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the parliamentary finance committee, called the move “a little late, but definitely ripe and correct. We must cleanse ourselves of corruption. Especially during the war.”

Anti-corruption committee chair Anastasia Radina wrote on Facebook: “This day has come. Better late than never. Thank you to everyone involved and to everyone who has stood up and will continue to stand up for justice.”

Foreign-affairs committee chairman Oleksandr Merezhko predicted “major consequences,” noting Yermak’s role in the informal power vertical, but expressed confidence that diplomatic work would continue smoothly thanks to the broader team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions. He acknowledged, however, that personnel decisions had often been made with Yermak’s input and that the ex-chief retained deep knowledge of “the internal kitchen.”

Opposition and civil society welcome the step

Maryana Bezugla, the outspoken non-faction MP who had paralysed parliamentary work for weeks in protest against Yermak, announced she was ending her blockade: “An era has passed. My strike in the Verkhovna Rada is being cancelled.”

Maria Berlinska, a prominent military-tech activist and co-founder of the Dignitas Foundation, described the moment as evidence that Ukraine’s institutions still function: “The good news: our anti-corruption agencies really work. Democracy and freedom of speech work, albeit with a creak. […] The Russians who spread the narrative of an ‘illegitimate dictatorship with irreplaceable friends’ in the West are losing one of their important trump cards. It has been shown that there are no irreplaceable ones. There are no untouchables.”

International response

The European Commission welcomed the searches as proof that “anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine actually exist and are doing their job,” reiterating that the fight against high-level corruption remains a key condition for EU accession.

Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Warsaw’s military support for Ukraine “remains unchanged,” while emphasising the need for “full transparency” in anti-corruption policy.

What happens next?

With the 2026 state budget still unadopted and the IMF programme hanging in the balance, political observers believe the appointment of a widely respected, technocratic head of the Presidential Office could unblock parliamentary work. Names circulating in Kyiv corridors include First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Deputy Head of the OP Pavlo Palisa (a career intelligence colonel), and several serving ambassadors.

As one senior Servant of the People MP told Suspilne on condition of anonymity: “The president has removed the main irritant. Now everything depends on who comes next and whether the reboot is real or just cosmetic.”

For the first time since February 2020, when Yermak replaced Andriy Bohdan, the Office of the President will have a new leader — at a moment when Ukraine faces its most challenging winter of the full-scale war and intensifying diplomatic pressure from both Western allies and Moscow.

Caption: Andriy Yermak (R), the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a plenary session during the Summit on peace in Ukraine in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, 16 June 2024 (reissued 28 November 2025). Zelenskyy announced on 28 November 2025 the resignation of Yermak, following an anti-corruption raid on Yermak’s home. Yermak, Zelenskyy’s closest advisor, had faced increasing pressure over a corruption scandal, despite not being personally accused of any wrongdoing. EPA/ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE / POOL