Anti-Corruption Agency Raids Kyiv Residence of Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak

Investigators from Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) executed search warrants at the Kyiv residence of Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff, on November 28, 2025. This action marks a significant escalation in the probe concerning an alleged large-scale kickback scheme centered on the state-owned nuclear power operator, Energoatom, Ukraine's sole operator of nuclear power plants.

Approximately ten NABU and SAPO agents were documented entering Yermak's residence within Kyiv's government quarter to conduct the procedural searches. Yermak publicly confirmed the searches via social media, asserting that he was extending full cooperation to the authorities and that his legal counsel was present on site. The President's Office has not issued an official comment on the development.

The core of this high-stakes investigation, characterized as the most significant corruption case since the commencement of Russia's full-scale invasion, involves allegations of a sophisticated money-laundering network within Energoatom. Authorities estimate that this systematic embezzlement channeled approximately $100 million out of the energy sector over a period spanning at least 15 months, with officials and external intermediaries allegedly demanding kickbacks ranging from 10 to 15 percent from commercial partners in exchange for contract extensions. This scandal is particularly resonant as Ukrainian citizens endure severe, scheduled electricity blackouts resulting from Russian military strikes against critical energy infrastructure.

Central to the broader corruption narrative is businessman Timur Mindich, identified by NABU as the suspected organizer of the illicit network; Mindich is noted as a former business partner and close associate of President Zelenskyy. Several suspects connected to the scheme have reportedly fled the country, prompting prosecutors to prepare international arrest warrants. The investigation has already led to the dismissal of two high-ranking officials earlier in November: former Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who was previously the Energy Minister until July 2025. The probe has also implicated former Energy Ministry adviser Ihor Myroniuk and Energoatom's Executive Director for Security, Dmytro Basov, who was detained on November 12.

Questions surrounding Yermak's precise legal standing remain, as NABU has not formally designated him a suspect, though his name has surfaced in connection with the probe, which has been linked to the "Midas investigation." Opposition lawmakers have subsequently called for Yermak's resignation amid the mounting pressure. Compounding the internal political turbulence, these raids occurred immediately following Yermak's recent high-level diplomatic engagement in Geneva, where he led talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerning a 19-point counterproposal to a peace plan. The case has prompted a wider institutional response, including a sweeping anti-corruption audit across all Ukrainian state-owned enterprises.