BRIC Team reports: Are other allies of Zelenskyy also under a cloud of suspicion? And what does this mean for Ukraine’s standing with its Western allies?What are the charges against Yermak?Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) say Yermak is suspected of involvement in an organised criminal group that allegedly laundered about 460 million hryvnias ($10.5m) through a luxury real estate project near Kyiv.Prosecutors are seeking to impose bail of about $5.4m on the 54-year-old while they continue their investigation.Yermak, who resigned in November, has firmly rejected the claims.
In a post on Telegram after a court hearing on Tuesday, he described the accusations as “unfounded”. Advertisement “As a lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience, I have always been guided by the law. And now, in the same way, I will defend my rights, my name and my reputation,” he said.Ukraine’s former Presidential Office Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak stands in court before a hearing in a money laundering case in Kyiv on May 12, 2026 [AFP]At one point during the hearing, Yermak told reporters that he “owns only one apartment and one car”.His lawyer, Ihor Fomin, labelled the allegations against his client “groundless” and denied any role by Yermak in laundering funds through the high-end development.
Background
Fomin told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne that “this entire situation has been provoked by public pressure.”NABU director Semen Kryvonos defended the proceedings, stating that authorities move to issue formal notices only when they believe they possess enough evidence to sustain charges in court. He clarified that Zelenskyy was not subject to any investigation.But the case has dragged the shadow of corruption closer to the Ukrainian president than ever before. That’s because it isn’t just Yermak who has been caught up in the accusations of fraud.Have other Zelenskyy allies been implicated, too?Timur Mindich, a wealthy businessman who was Zelenskyy’s former partner from the entertainment world – the Ukrainian president is a former comedian – has emerged as another leading figure in the scandal.
Key facts
- Are other allies of Zelenskyy also under a cloud of suspicion?
- In a post on Telegram after a court hearing on Tuesday, he described the accusations as “unfounded”.
- Advertisement “As a lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience, I have always been guided by the law.
What this means
He left for Israel after corruption allegations surfaced last year. The probe has also brought Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, into the crosshairs of the authorities. Umerov, who until last year was Ukraine’s defence minister, is Zelenskyy’s main representative in United States-backed diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.Prosecutors say Umerov has been interviewed as a witness in the luxury real estate development case.The case is part of a broader anticorruption operation, dubbed “Midas” and led by NABU and SAPO.
The operation was first made public in November, when prosecutors accused Mindich of engineering a $100m kickback scheme at Energoatom, charges the businessman has refuted.Zelenskyy has yet to publicly respond to the allegations involving Yermak. On Monday, a communications aide said it was premature to comment on the case.Ukraine’s government in July passed a law in an effort to strip the independence of NABU and SAPO, which were established in 2014 after a pro-democracy uprising against the then-government of President Viktor Yanukovych.
