UKRAINE, May 18 — Andrii Yermak, former head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, has been released from pre-trial detention on bail of ₴140 million ($3.2 million) ordered by Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court, known as VAKS, reported Radio Free Europe/Liberty
Yermak had been placed in custody on May 14 as part of a sweeping anti-corruption investigation into alleged money laundering connected to luxury real-estate construction in Kozyn south of Kyiv. Prosecutors accuse members of an organized group close to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy of laundering more than ₴460 million through an elite residential development in the village of Kozyn between 2021 and 2025. The construction works there didn’t stop during the Russian full-scale invasion.
Yermak has rejected all accusations, calling the case politically motivated and legally unsubstantial. His legal team says they plan to challenge both the detention order and the allegations themselves.
What is Yermak’s case about?
According to investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the money laundering scheme was centered on luxury construction projects in Kozyn, a capital suburb known for housing political and business elites.
Alongside Yermak, NABU also charged Oleksii Chernyshov, former Deputy Prime Minister, Timur Mindich, ex-business partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and three others scheme’s participants, reported the Kyiv Independent. However, NABU itself never exposed the names of the suspects.
NABU reported that, for four years, suspects used illicitly obtained funds to finance the construction of four private luxury residences, auxiliary buildings, and a spa complex on approximately eight hectares (19 acres) of land.
Investigators claim some of the funds originated from corruption schemes linked to state enterprises, including Ukraine’s nuclear energy sector. The probe also intersects with the broader anti-corruption operation known as “Operation Midas,” first reported on in late 2025 against people, including high-rated officials, allegedly involved in large-scale embezzlement and influence trading.
NABU, SAPO’s protests and Operation Midas
“Operation Midas,” as well as investigation into Andrii Yermak’s alleged participation in money laundering, almost didn’t happen.
On Jul. 22, 2025, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed the Law #12414 that undermined the independence of NABU and SAPO and allowed searches on private territories without court order which threatened investigators involved in the “Operation Midas.” After, people took to the streets across Ukrainian cities to protest against the attack on the independence of the Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies. Back then Gwara’s journalists highlighted those protests in Kharkiv.
In the evening of Jul. 24, when the protests started in many cities for the third day in a row and the European Commission (EC) expressed deep concern about the new law, Zelenskyy registered the bill that restored the independence of anti-graft bodies, stating that has heard the people.
In November, three months after protests, NABU and SAPO released first reports on “Operation Midas,” charging Timur Mindich and Oleksii Chernysov for illicit enrichment on defence structures in the energy sector. On Nov. 12, investigators searched Yermak’s office in the Presidential Office on Bankova StreetHe resigned from the Presidential Office two weeks after that. In 2026, Chernyshov and Mindich were charged for money laundering on real estate alongside Yermak.
Ukraine’s EU allies encouraged investigation into the country’s officials. Guillaume Mercier, the EU spokesperson, said that Yermak’s charges wouldn’t affect Ukraine’s possible accession to the Union, adding that the process shows “that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies are functioning and fulfilling their mandate.”
Who is Andriy Yermak?
Andriy Yermak was one of the most powerful and influential political figures in Ukraine during Zelenskyy’s presidency.
Originally a lawyer and film producer, Yermak entered Zelenskyy’s inner circle during the president’s entertainment career and later became a key political adviser after Zelenskyy won the 2019 presidential election.
In February 2020, Zelenskyy appointed Yermak head of the Presidential Office, making him the president’s chief of staff and gatekeeper to the administration.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Yermak became known as the second-most powerful person in Ukraine after President Zelenskyy. People protesting for independence of anti-graft bodies in July 2025 were calling him “shadow leader” of the country.
Yermak frequently met foreign delegations, coordinated communications with allies, and managed the prisoners of war exchanges with Russia. He also oversaw Ukraine’s sanctions policy and represented Kyiv’s in the peace initiatives.
Domestically, Yermak remained a controversial figure, and one of the most toxic people in Zelenskyy’s circle. Critics accused him of concentrating all political power inside the Presidential Office. Opposition politicians and anti-corruption activists repeatedly demanded greater transparency regarding his political and business connections.
After his resignation Yermak headed the war victims committee in the National Association of Lawyers of Ukraine. He continues to deny any involvement in criminal activity and says he does not own the luxury properties in Kozyn.
“I’m doing what I’ve always been doing — I work for the benefit of Ukraine, help soldiers, those who are in the Russian captivity, and all other people.”
Hi, I’m Nazar Hlamazda, the author of this article. I hope this article will help you make sense out of recent developments in Ukraine’s anti-corruption investigations. Please support our work by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of our community.
Read more
- ‘War doesn’t let us go’ — Mariupol family’s home damaged after Russian drone attack on Kharkiv
Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, Ukraine
Most important stories from the frontline region
