politics
Ukraine Anti-Corruption Officials Charge Former Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak With Money Laundering
Anti-corruption officials charged Andriy Yermak on May 12, 2026, naming him a suspect in a scheme that laundered UAH 460 million on an elite housing project. Yermak appeared in a Kyiv court the same day as prosecutors sought preventive detention or $4 million bail. The case forms part of a broader inquiry into a $100 million embezzlement scheme in the nuclear energy sector.
May 12, 12:19 PM·2m read3 sources
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Anti-corruption officials charged Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's former chief of staff, with money laundering and corruption on May 12, 2026. 9 million) on elite construction near Kyiv. Yermak appeared in a Kyiv court on May 12, 2026.
Ukraine's Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office asked the court to place him in preventive detention or set bail of about $4 million (£3 million). The latest claims centre on an elite housing project called 'Dynasty' in a village outside Kyiv where millions in construction funds were allegedly laundered.
The anti-corruption bureau shared part of a wiretapped conversation as part of its case against suspects including Andriy Yermak.
Six more people were identified as suspects in the money-laundering scheme. The corruption probe is part of a broader inquiry into an alleged $100 million (£74 million) embezzlement scheme in Ukraine's nuclear energy sector. The high-level criminal organization bribed energy contractors between 10 and 15 percent of their contracts’ value.
Some contracts involved defensive fortifications to protect energy infrastructure being bombed by Russia. Tapes obtained by NABU contain conversations about delaying fortification projects to obtain maximum profit on kickbacks. Newly released tapes appear to show people close to Zelenskyy, including Timur Mindich, influencing then-Defence Minister Rustem Umerov’s decisions on defense contracts.
Timur Mindich controlled the work of the so-called ‘laundry room’ where criminally-obtained funds were laundered, according to NABU. Timur Mindich co-owned Kvartal 95 Studio with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Andriy Yermak's home was raided by Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities on November 28, 2025.
He resigned from his position after the raid on his flat in November 2025. In November 2025, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office conducted Operation Midas, charging multiple high-level officials. Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov was charged with abuse of office in Operation Midas.
