{"id":2515641,"date":"2025-11-29T10:50:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T15:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-ukrainian-official-resigns-after-corruption-probe-expands-into-zelenskyys-circle\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T10:52:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T15:52:57","slug":"top-ukrainian-official-resigns-after-corruption-probe-expands-into-zelenskyys-circle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-ukrainian-official-resigns-after-corruption-probe-expands-into-zelenskyys-circle\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Ukrainian Official Resigns After Corruption Probe Expands Into Zelenskyy\u2019s Circle"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftop-ukrainian-official-resigns-after-corruption-probe-expands-into-zelenskyys-circle%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2515641&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Andriy yermak, Ukraine&#8217;s presidential chief of staff and the country&#8217;s second-most powerful official, resigned following an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >anti-corruption raid<\/a> at his home. The inquiry, part of a 15-month probe called &#8220;Operation Midas,&#8221; targets a $100 million embezzlement and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/european-allies-reaffirm-military-support-for-ukraine-as-kyiv-launches-corruption-audit\/\" title=\"European allies reaffirm military support for Ukraine as Kyiv launches corruption audit\">kickback scandal involving<\/a> the state nuclear operator Energoatom, implicating figures close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Although Yermak has not been formally charged, his resignation marks the highest-level fallout from the investigation.The scandal has raised concerns about Zelenskyy&#8217;s ability to govern and negotiate peace with Russia, especially as elections are expected within 100 days after any peace deal.Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Yermak&#8217;s previous work but emphasized the need for unity amid the crisis. The controversy has led some observers to question Zelenskyy&#8217;s future leadership amid ongoing war and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/did-lockdowns-cause-increased-mortality-rates\/\" title=\"Did Lockdowns Cause Increased Mortality Rates?\">corruption challenges<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Ukraine&rsquo;s second-most powerful official, presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, resigned Friday after anti-corruption investigators raided his home.<\/p>\n<p>Yermak, Zelenskyy&rsquo;s chief of staff, wrote a letter of resignation after the search, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/ukrainian-official-yermak-resigns-corruption-probe-encircles-zelenskyy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Today, NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] and SAPO [Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor&rsquo;s Office] are indeed conducting procedural actions at my home. The investigators have no obstacles. They were given full access to the apartment, my lawyers are on site, interacting with law enforcement officers,&rdquo; Yermak said on social media.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From my side, I have full cooperation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The raid is linked to a $100 million embezzlement and kickback scandal at state nuclear operator Energoatom, the largest corruption case to strike President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-trump-admin-issues-ultimatum-zelenskyy-sign-peace-deal-thanksgiving-else\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Volodymyr Zelenskyy&rsquo;s<\/a> inner circle.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>While Yermak has not been formally charged, his departure marks the highest-level fallout yet from the 15-month NABU probe known as &ldquo;Operation Midas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Businessman Tymur Mindich &mdash; who co-owned a production company with Zelenskyy &mdash; has been charged in absentia as the alleged ringleader of the scheme.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/e244a251-4bb1-439a-8c35-2cdabdc2f880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Financial Times<\/a> reported that bags of cash and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/peace-plan-bombshell-ukrainians-reportedly-re-wrote-plan-give-full-immunity-remove-audit-international-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">toilet plated in gold<\/a> were found during a raid of his apartment.<\/p>\n<p>While Yermak&rsquo;s resignation will doubtfully provide such colorful details, it will have a more palpable impact on Zelenskyy&rsquo;s ability to govern, given that he was the chief Ukrainian negotiator in a U.S.-proposed peace parley between Kyiv and Moscow.<\/p>\n<p>The resignation came a day before he was set to travel to Miami to confer with Trump administration officials about the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the perfect storm. There is a lot of uncertainty right now,&rdquo; an unnamed Ukrainian official told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/11\/28\/zelensky-chief-staff-yermak-resign-scandal-corruption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Opposition politicians had already been calling on Yermak to resign before the search, calls that the president had rejected. American officials had warned Zelenskyy that the scandal could jeopardize their negotiating position with Russia, however.<\/p>\n<p>For his part, Zelenskyy tried to sound a note of appreciation as his former No. 2 left under shadow of an NABU search.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I am grateful to Andriy for always presenting the Ukrainian position in the negotiation track exactly as it should be. It has always been a patriotic position,&rdquo; Zelenskyy said in remarks after Yermak&rsquo;s stepping down.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But I want there to be no rumors and speculation. As for the new head of the office, tomorrow I will hold consultations with those who can head this institution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Russia really wants Ukraine to make mistakes. There will be no mistakes on our side,&rdquo; Zelenskyy added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We do not have the right to ease the pressure. We do not have the right to retreat or to quarrel among ourselves. If we lose our unity, we risk losing everything.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, the Yermak resignation piles more doubt upon the viability of Zelenskyy as Ukraine&rsquo;s head of state, with some observers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/volodymyr-zelenskyy-ukraine-corruption-scandal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calling<\/a> him a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mi-dems-push-national-popular-vote-in-final-moments-of-power\/\" title=\"MI Dems Push National Popular Vote In Final Moments Of Power\">lame duck&#038;rdquo<\/a>; due to the Energoatom scandal.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. peace deal specifically calls for presidential elections within 100 days in Ukraine after the deal is signed. Zelenskyy, who was initially elected in 2019 on an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/guatemala-election-bidens-dream-leader-bernardo-arevalo-rides-anti-graft-wave-to-power\/\" title=\"Guatemala election: Bernardo Arevalo, Biden&#039;s favored leader, wins on anti...corruption platform.\">anti-corruption platform<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/approaching-end-term-zelenskyy-cancels-next-election-not-right-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called off elections scheduled for 2024 due to the war<\/a>. He would have an uphill battle if he were to seek the office again, and has indicated he won&rsquo;t try.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If we finish [the] war with [the] Russians, I&rsquo;m ready not to go for the second term because it&rsquo;s not my goal &mdash; elections,&rdquo; he <a href=\"https:\/\/kyivindependent.com\/zelensky-signals-readiness-to-not-seek-second-presidential-term-hold-elections-during-ceasefire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> in a September interview.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I wanted very much in a very difficult period of time to be with my country, help my country. My goal is to finish the war.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukraine&#8217;s second-highest-ranking official, presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, stepped down Friday following a home raid by anti-corruption investigators. After the search, Yermak submitted his resignation letter, according to Fox News. &#8220;Today, NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] and SAPO [Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor&#8217;s Office] are carrying out procedural actions at my residence,&#8221; Yermak stated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2515642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-11-29T025419.406.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8773,5894,6522,6991,10724],"class_list":["post-2515641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-corruption","tag-politics","tag-resignation","tag-ukraine","tag-zelenskyy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-11-29T025419.406.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2515641"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2515645,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515641\/revisions\/2515645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2515642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2515641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2515641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2515641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}