Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Ukrainian anti-corruption units raided the home of Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, amid a major investigation into a $100 million energy sector corruption scandal involving top Ukrainian officials. Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine said they had searched Yermak’s office.

Yermak himself, a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key participant in the ongoing talks with the United States, as Trump administration pushes for ceasefire finish Russia’s nearly four-year war in the country, also confirmed that authorities had searched his apartment.

“Investigators face no obstacles,” Yermak wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app. He added that he was cooperating fully with them and that his lawyers were present.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are anti-corruption monitoring bodies of Ukraine.

Two of Yermak’s former deputies, Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma, left the government in 2024 after watchdogs investigated them for financial irregularities. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, was investigated for bribery and other crimes, but still works for Yermak.

The scandal has created more problems for Zelenskyy as he seeks continued support from Western countries for Ukraine’s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told Zelenskyy he must crack down on corruption.

Zelenskyy faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after researchers released details of their investigation into the energy sector.

In July, Zelensky faced the first major protests against him and his government since Russia launched its full-scale invasion over a bill he signed into law giving Ukraine’s attorney general, a political appointee roughly equivalent to the U.S. attorney general, more power over the two anti-corruption agencies.

Some critics argued that the new law was political retaliation following charges brought against its former vice president Smyrnov, and the move fueled concerns that Ukraine could slide back to some degree of the authoritarianism that was the default under former pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, known for his close ties to oligarchs.

Although Yermak has not been charged with any crime, several senior lawmakers in Zelenskyy’s party said Yermak should take responsibility for the energy sector scandal to restore public trust. Some said that if Zelenskyy did not remove him, the party could split, threatening the president’s parliamentary majority. But Zelenskyy defied them.

The president urged Ukrainians to unite and “stop the political games” in the face of American pressure to reach a deal with Russia.

Yermak met Zelenskyy more than 15 years ago when he was a lawyer venturing into the television production business, and Zelenskyy was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor. He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelenskyy’s first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020.