Ukraine Names Andriy Yermak Suspect in Money-Laundering Investigation

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) named Andrii Yermak an official suspect on May 11, 2026 in a money-laundering probe. According to the agencies, the case centers on a scheme in which a high-level criminal organization allegedly paid bribes equal to 10 to 15 percent of the value of energy contracts.

The contracts included work on defensive fortifications intended to protect infrastructure targeted by Russian strikes. Investigators searched Yermak’s home in November 2025, the same month he resigned as chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The agencies also named Timur Mindich a suspect, alleging he controlled what they described as a “laundry room” used to launder criminally obtained funds.

NABU and SAPO conducted a major anti-corruption operation in November 2025 that resulted in charges against multiple high-level officials. Mykola Hladyshchenko, head of a state-owned bank, temporarily suspended himself after tapes surfaced that implicated the bank.

The same tapes appear to show individuals close to Zelenskyy, including Mindich, influencing decisions on defense contracts made by then-Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

Any charges against Yermak may take months, investigators have said. The investigation remains ongoing. On the same day the agencies named Yermak a suspect, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reported that Russia launched more than 200 drones against Ukraine overnight on May 11-12, 2026. The strikes hit civilian infrastructure, killing at least one person and wounding six others.

A poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between April 20 and April 27, 2026, and released on May 6, 2026, found that 54 percent of Ukrainians in government-controlled territory identified government corruption as the biggest threat to Ukraine’s development.

By comparison, 39 percent identified Russia’s military aggression as the biggest threat. The same survey showed that 58 percent of respondents trust President Zelenskyy while 36 percent do not. Trust in Zelenskyy had stood at 62 percent one month earlier.

On May 12, 2026, President Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, to discuss directions of technological development in both combat operations and civilian needs.