Once seen as Zelenskyy's potential successor, now charged with corruption—who is Andriy Yermak

New Delhi: Andriy Yermak, the former right hand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and considered his potential successor, was charged with corruption and money laundering late Monday evening.

Yermak, the former chief of staff for Zelenskyy, has been charged by National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s office (SAPO) for laundering UAH 460 million, or roughly EUR 8.9 million, on “elite construction” projects near Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.While Yermak was not directly named, NABU and SAPO referred to the former “head of the President’s office” in their statement released late Monday evening. It has been alleged that over many years, EUR 8.9 million was funnelled to the construction of luxury mansions outside of Kyiv through a number of shell companies and fictitious financial documents, including cash payments, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Yermak has made no comment yet on the charges, which emanate from investigations into the EUR 85 million corruption scandal at the state-owned Energoatom energy company.The probe began last year and has brought a number of Zelenskyy’s allies under the scanner, including entrepreneur Timur Mindich and former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. Both were charged with corruption last year, but denied the allegations. Mindich was a co-founder of Kvartal-95, a production company founded by Zelenskyy, before the latter ran for office.Yermak was Zelenskyy’s chief of staff from 2020 till his resignation on 28 November, 2025. Once considered the most powerful individual in the Ukrainian government, Yermak’s fall from grace has been steep.Zelenskyy has remained mum on the charges. Last year, on the eve of NABU and SAPO filing charges, the Ukrainian Parliament had moved to strip the two agencies of their independent powers. The passed bill was signed into law quickly by Zelenskyy, which had led to massive protests across the country. Zelenskyy had then withdrawn the law, following public anger.The probe into Energoatom is the biggest in Zelenskyy’s tenure, which has been overshadowed by the war with Russia. At least nine suspects have been charged so far, including Mindich, Chernyshov and former justice minister Herman Halushchenko. Halushchenko was also the Energy Minister of Ukraine between 2021 and 2025.The allegations and investigation have hurt public perception surrounding the Ukrainian President. Mindich fled Ukraine—reportedly on a tip-off—before he could be detained by authorities.