On Friday morning, November 28, Ukrainian law enforcement searched property linked to Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and the lead Ukrainian negotiator on President Trump’s peace plan. The raid was carried out as part of a sweeping anti-corruption investigation.
In Ukraine, Yermak is regarded as the second most influential figure in the state. The investigative actions followed weeks of demands from opposition lawmakers that he resign over close contacts with individuals implicated in a corruption case centered on a kickback scheme within the state-owned company responsible for nuclear energy.
Heightened scrutiny of Yermak by law enforcement may complicate US-led peace talks and further strain Ukraine’s domestic politics at a moment when Russian forces are advancing along the front line.
In a statement published on Friday, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said it had carried out a search connected to Yermak, though it did not specify which suspicions are under review.
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Yermak, who previously worked as a film producer and an intellectual-property lawyer, has remained one of Zelensky’s closest political allies throughout the war unleashed by Russia’s 2022 invasion. Earlier this week, he led a round of talks in Geneva with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Despite intense scrutiny of these negotiations both inside Ukraine and abroad, the anti-corruption investigation continues to weigh on Yermak and on another Ukrainian negotiator, Rustem Umerov, who was questioned by detectives in Kyiv this week after returning from Geneva.
Peace talks involving the US, Ukraine, Russia and several European states have stalled after an initial burst of diplomatic activity last week, even as the investigation inside Ukraine continues to widen.
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to insist that any settlement must include Ukraine ceding part of its territory. In an interview with The Atlantic published on Thursday, Yermak said that Zelensky will not sign any document that entails giving up Ukrainian land.