Anti-Corruption Raid Targets Zelensky's Chief of Staff

Anti-corruption units have raided the home, and reportedly also the office, of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. The unprecedented searches at the heart of Ukraine's government come at a time when Kyiv is already under intense US pressure to sign a peace deal, the AP reports.

• Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine said their searches targeted Yermak. Oleksii Tkachuk, a spokesperson for Yermak, said the anti-graft agencies had not served Yermak a notice of suspicion, meaning he was not a suspect in an investigation. Tkachuk added that Yermak had not been told what the searches related to.
• Yermak is a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key participant in talks with the United States. The BBC describes him as Zelensky's "right-hand man."

• Yermak confirmed they searched his apartment inside the presidential compound in downtown Kyiv, where checkpoints limit public access. Media reports said Yermak's office was also searched, but investigators declined to comment on that.
• "The investigators are facing no obstacles," Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram. He added that he was cooperating fully with them and his lawyers were present.
• Hours before the raid, Yermak told the Atlantic that Zelensky would never give up land in exchange for peace. He also acknowledged that there was "enormous" pressure for him to step down. "The case is fairly loud, and there needs to be an objective and independent investigation without political influence," he said.
• The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office are Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs. They are currently leading a major investigation into a $100 million energy sector corruption scandal involving top Ukrainian officials which has dominated domestic headlines in recent weeks. It was not clear if the searches were connected to the case and a spokesperson for the NABU, Anton Tatarnikov, declined to comment, citing legal restrictions on revealing details on an ongoing probe.
• Investigators suspect that Tymur Mindich, a one-time business partner of Zelensky, was the plot's mastermind. Mindich has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him likely to be carried out in absentia. Two top government ministers have resigned in the scandal.