Story perspectives

Ukraine Probes Ex-Chief of Staff Yermak in $10.5 M Laundering Case

5/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Anti-corruption agencies placed former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak under suspicion in a $10.5 million money-laundering case.
Yermak is also a suspect in a 460-million-hryvnia scheme, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not investigated.
The 2018 probe also includes a $100 million kickback at the atomic agency and charges former deputy prime minister Oleksii Chernyshov.
Yermak’s lawyer called the allegations baseless, while a court is weighing preventive detention or a $4 million bail.

History

Historical Context

After the 2014 Euromaidan uprising forced Ukraine to meet IMF and EU conditions, the parliament created the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) in April 2015, launching 1,200 investigations that year. Building on later high-profile cases such as the 2016 fine on former minister Mykola Azarov, NABU now detained former chief of staff Andriy Yermak, a move that pressures President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s reform agenda.

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Story summary

Anti-corruption agencies placed former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak under suspicion in a $10.5 million money-laundering case.
Yermak is also a suspect in a 460-million-hryvnia scheme, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not investigated.
The 2018 probe also includes a $100 million kickback at the atomic agency and charges former deputy prime minister Oleksii Chernyshov.
Yermak’s lawyer called the allegations baseless, while a court is weighing preventive detention or a $4 million bail.

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