How Zelensky’s right-hand man fell from power

Andriy Yermak was a constant and visible presence in the Ukrainian government; a seemingly constant figure on the political stage.

Despite its towering stature, you may not always have noticed it. But wherever President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was, Yermak was often not far away.

As chief of staff, Yermak wielded enormous power at the top of the government and was even trusted to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf in peace talks with the United States.

But as his influence grew, so did public resentment of the power wielded by this unelected official. His political career ended abruptly on Friday, hours after anti-corruption investigators raided his home in Kiev.

Yermak and Zelensky first met in 2011, when the former was an intellectual property lawyer and the latter was a TV producer.

Yermak became Zelensky’s chief of staff after working together during his successful 2019 presidential campaign. He stood next to the president as he delivered his now-famous “we’re still here” speech as the Russians stormed Kiev at the start of their full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Yermak was widely seen as the second most powerful person in Ukraine as Zelensky concentrated his power over time. He reportedly helped shape foreign policy, toppled political rivals, and even made battlefield decisions.

Ukrainian politics is shaped by big characters, and under Zelensky there was not one but two of them.

Despite the favorable conditions Yermak enjoyed inside the expanded Presidential Office, the same could not be said outside the steep walls.

Its popularity was dizzying.

Zelensky had successfully fought corruption scandals in the past, but in July a chain of events began that shook the current government to its foundations, weakening it politically and costing him his right arm.

That month, the president persuaded parliament to formally revoke the independence of Ukraine’s two anti-corruption bodies and place them under direct government control.

At the time, Zelensky said this was to limit Russian interference.

However, both the public and the European Union did not agree with this view and had to make a U-turn after mass demonstrations.

By autumn, the same institutions, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo), published the findings of a lengthy investigation involving members of Zelensky’s inner circle.

Senior figures, including two ministers, a former deputy prime minister and Zelensky’s one-time business partner, were accused of siphoning $100 million (£75 million) from public projects in the energy sector.

Public anger over these allegations of corruption has grown at a time when Russia has hit Ukraine’s energy grid with missiles and drones ahead of the fourth winter of the war, forcing the entire country to endure daily power outages.

On Friday night alone, Kiev was subjected to a Russian airstrike that lasted nearly 11 hours, leaving more than half a million people without power.

“We are living through one of the most difficult times in our history,” Iryna, who lives in Kiev, told the BBC this week. “Unfortunately, many families will not be able to see their loved ones, men, siblings, husbands, due to the war.”

Andriy Yermak was unable to keep his distance, although he was not named as a suspect and denied any involvement in the plan.

There were suspicions that he knew something.

Investigators are examining several laptops and mobile phones they seized from his apartment during the search, local media reported on Saturday.

Yermak led talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Geneva last week, apparently securing some concessions for his country in a peace proposal drawn up by the US, which many fear is backing Russia.

His resignation is deeply destabilizing at a time when Ukraine is struggling and negotiating for its survival.

The talks will continue next week. Ukrainian Presidential Office said in a statement on Saturday that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was leading the delegation to the USA.

What is unknown is whether this will be a timely restart for Kiev or a costly lack of continuity.

It is also unknown how Yermak will suddenly leave the government. The New York Post reported that he texted their newspaper on Saturday and promised to go to the front lines. He also declared his innocence.

“I am going to the front and I am prepared for any reprisals,” he reportedly said. “I am an honest and decent person.”

But there is a feeling that Yermak’s departure is a sign of positive change.

“Let’s call it what it is: good news.” Olga Rudenko saysEditor of the Kyiv Independent.

“Think about it: a young democracy like Ukraine has independent institutions strong enough to investigate the most powerful man in the country and to do so during war.

“People around the world who support Ukraine are rooting not for a place on a map, but for a place that lives by certain values ​​and fights for them. Today we see those values ​​in action.

“This shows exactly why Ukraine is a country worth supporting.”

Additional reporting by Toby Luckhurst