Ukraine's anti-corruption agency Nabu and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office Sapo searched Andrij Yermak's residence in Kiev's government district on Friday, according to a statement.
The raid is said to be linked to the corruption scandal in the Ukrainian energy sector that has forced the removal of both the country's Minister of Justice and Minister of Energy.
Weakens Zelenskyy
Andriy Yermak, one of Zelenskyy's closest men, has been chief of staff since 2020 and a key position in the peace negotiations with the United States.
It is a big problem for Zelensky that someone in his inner circle is being investigated. It weakens him domestically, of course, says Fredrik Wesslau, a researcher at the Center for East European Studies, adding:
This particular corruption scandal, which is linked to energy companies, is particularly sensitive because Russia is trying to knock out the energy infrastructure and people are living without electricity and heat.
Jermak himself writes on social media that "full cooperation" applies from his side.
"Investigators are not facing any obstacles. They were given full access to the apartment," he writes, adding that his lawyers are "cooperating with the police."
Can put more pressure
The latest development "helps Ukraine's enemies" and could spill over into the peace negotiations, points out Fredrik Wesslau.
The question is whether he (Yermak) can continue in the delegation, he says.
For the US, this is an opportunity to put even more pressure on Zelenskyy and get him to accept a bad deal in the negotiations. Russia can use it to question Zelenskyy's legitimacy and the entire Ukrainian state.
Even those countries within the EU that want to strangle support for Ukraine can take advantage of the situation.
Like Orbán, for example, who can point to this and ask, why should the EU support Ukraine if there is corruption. So that is also a problem for international support, says Fredrik Wesslau, referring to the Prime Minister of Hungary.
As recently as last summer, Zelensky's government planned to limit the independence of Nabu and Sapo. But after widespread protests, the government backed down.
Against this background, the crackdown on Jermak can, according to Wesslau, also be seen as a sign that "the anti-corruption agencies are functioning and dare to investigate people at the very highest level."
The corruption scandal erupted in mid-November, when the anti-corruption agency Nabus' investigation showed that the equivalent of around one billion kronor had passed through a money laundering system linked to the energy sector.
Around 70 raids have been carried out after a 15-month investigation into the matter.
Both Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk have been forced to resign. A number of other high-ranking officials close to President Volodymyr Zelensky have been sanctioned – among them the alleged mastermind, businessman Timur Mindich, who fled Ukraine hours before Nabu was to raid his apartment.
