In the midst of the corruption scandal that has caused a political earthquake in Ukraine, President Zelensky's former chief of staff was detained. What does this mean for the president himself?
On May 11, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office filed charges against the former head of the Ukrainian president's staff, Andriy Yermak. He is accused of money laundering within an organized group, which carries a prison sentence of between 8 and 12 years. According to the Anti-Corruption Service, the group in which Yermak participated laundered 460 million hryvnias (about nine million euros) through a luxury construction project near Kiev. Six other people have also been charged in the case.
“This is a particularly serious crime. We are currently collecting evidence”, said the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klimenko. Meanwhile, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has arrested Ermak for two months. He has been set a bail of 140 million hryvnias (2.72 million euros). Ermak is not being detained immediately - he has five days to collect the amount or appeal the decision.
What is Ermak accused of?
The investigation shows that it all started with the founding of the BLOOM Development company in 2018 by one of the defendants. In the summer of 2019, the company acquired over four hectares of land near Kiev and in 2021 began building a luxury residential complex there, called “Dynasty”. Investigators believe that the construction site was used to launder illegal money on a large scale. It is also believed that the criminal group collected the money from various sources, including through corruption schemes in the state-owned concern “Energoatom”.
The group was headed by a man nicknamed “Carlson” - businessman Timur Mindych, considered a like-minded person and confidant of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mindych is also a co-owner of the television production company “Kvartal-95”, of which Zelensky is one of the founders.
Andriy Yermak also seems to have been a member of this group. In connection with the current process, the Anti-Corruption Service searched both his office and his private residence in November 2025. Although at that time he had not yet been suspected, he left his post in the presidency, which he had held since 2020.
Andriy Yermak denied owning a house in the "Dynasty" complex and described the suspicions as "unfounded". "In recent months, the criminal authorities have apparently been under pressure to open investigations against me," Yermak wrote on Telegram. At the same time, he announced that he would remain in Ukraine and be available for the investigations.
Will the Yermak case harm Zelensky?
Yermak maintained close relations with the Ukrainian president, and journalists have already suggested that one of the houses in the complex may also be owned by Zelensky himself through proxy persons - an assumption that was rejected by the anti-corruption authorities. "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not the subject of our investigations," said the head of the Anti-Corruption Service, Semyon Krivonos.
However, observers believe that the case could still damage Zelensky's image. Ukrainian political scientist Petro Oleshchuk believes that the process may have less immediate consequences, but it could seriously burden the current state leadership. The "Mindych Affair" will be talked about constantly and will not just disappear. This aspect will be associated with the president's work," Oleshchuk told DW.
According to him, both Zelensky's domestic political opponents and outsiders may be interested in fanning this scandal. In addition, Oleshchuk does not rule out the possibility that the affair will be used to increase pressure on the Ukrainian leadership in order to seek an end to the war in Ukraine under conditions unfavorable to Kiev.
Ukrainian political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko also sees risks for Zelensky - but more likely in the future, although a decline in the president's approval rating is possible now. “While he is the president of Ukraine, Zelensky has immunity - therefore, he cannot be the subject of investigations, unlike Ermak”, Fesenko told DW. He believes that the greatest threat to Zelensky will arise when the war ends and the election campaign begins. “Then the compromising material in connection with this case and the “Mindych Affair” in general will be able to be used,”, Fesenko points out.
Zelensky has not commented on the case so far. His media advisor Dmytro Litvin told journalists that “the process is still ongoing and it is too early to make any assessments”.