Andriy Yermak did not believe in his resignation until the last moment. He caused a row with Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday that the head of his office, Andriy Yermak, who is under investigation in the corruption scandal at the highest levels of power, has resigned. He is under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in connection with an investigation into corruption under the code name “Midas”. The scandal, revealed by NABU and SAP (Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office), broke out at the beginning of November, and in the investigation files Jermak is listed under the pseudonym Ali Baba.
For six years, the powerful head of the Ukrainian president's office seemed unsinkable, even though he had made many enemies within the circle of power. The website Ukrainska Pravda describes the background of President Zelensky's decision and reveals the existence of a secret chat in which high-ranking Ukrainian officials talked about removing Andriy Yermak from power.
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What was the reason for Andriy Yermak's resignation?
What actions did the anti-corruption services take against Yermak?
How did President Zelensky react to the situation with Yermak?
What happened during the meeting in the president's office?
As the portal describes, when at At 6 a.m. on November 28, NABU and SAP officers wanted to enter the government district, they were stopped at the checkpoint by a soldier who initially did not want to let them in, insisting that they wait for a representative of the Department of Safety and Security to appear. The officers, relying on the documents they had, entered the district where the most important Ukrainian offices are located, including the president's office, and the soldier guarding the block post at that time made several calls, which the journalist of “Ukrainska Pravda” present at the scene described as “nervous”.
“From the context, it could be concluded that these were explanations given to the management, and the people on the other end of the phone were not thrilled with what they heard,” the portal describes.
Ultimately, the anti-corruption services did not conduct a search in Yermak's office, but searched his private apartment, located near the office. There they seized two laptops and several phones.
A breakthrough meeting between Zelensky and representatives of the services. After that, a decision was made
Meanwhile, according to the portal, on the same day at At 9 a.m., a meeting began in President Zelensky's office, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, head of SBU Vasyl Maliuk, director of NABU Semen Kryvonos and head of SAP Oleksandr Klymenko.
“President Zelensky welcomed the guests in the mood of a man who suddenly realized that fighting on two fronts at the same time – external and internal – threatens not only individual political figures, but also the very ability to govern the country,” writes Ukrainska Pravda.
As reported by the portal, the conversation was about finding a variant in which the search of the head of the president's office would not be perceived by international partners as a sign of chaos in the Ukrainian authorities, which would negatively affect the negotiations to end the war. The arguments of those gathered demanding Yermak's release were also compounded by pressure from the president's own camp – they had already pressed for this earlier, among others. parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and defense minister Denys Shmyhal. However, Zelensky seemed to be deaf to their arguments. Even though the decision to search Yermak's place was dated November 21 – which is emphasized by Ukrainska Pravda, pointing out that the president must have already known about the charges against him – Yermak still represented Ukraine on Sunday, November 23, during talks on the Trump peace plan in Geneva.
Ukrainska Pravda reports that after a conversation in the president's office with representatives of the services, Zelensky decided to dismiss him after several hours of consideration, during which he did not contact the head of his office.
Until the last moment, Yermak did not believe that Zelensky would “take him down.” He started a row
Throughout his tenure, Andriy Yermak focused on filling as many positions as possible with “his” people. However, at a critical moment for him, none of his nominees defended his boss, emphasizes Ukrainska Pravda.
The portal, citing its sources, reports that when Yermak was asked by Zelensky to write a statement of resignation, “he gave the president half an hour of hysteria with insults, reproaches and accusations.” — Until the last moment, he did not believe that the First (Volodymyr Zelensky – ed.) would take him down. And this is how a person close to Yermak told Ukrainska Pravda, presenting him with a fait accompli.
Most members of the president's team interviewed by the portal's journalists agree that after Yermak's dismissal, Zelensky seemed to have returned to his previous version.
— Now he's energetic again. This is the president of February 24, 2022. [początku rosyjskiej inwazji na Ukrainę — red.] There were very good matches on Saturday. Truly crazy motivation and attitude, said one of the Ukrainian president's associates.
Andriy Yermak has not yet been charged. In a message sent to the New York Post editorial office on Friday, he said he was going to the front.
