Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) announced that charges have been brought against Andrey Yermak, the former head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office.
According to SAP, Yermak will stand trial on charges of money laundering linked to the construction of luxury residences near Kyiv.
Earlier today, Ukrainian media reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and SAP were conducting an investigation into Yermak.
What Is Known About the Charges Against Andrey Yermak?
▪ NABU and SAP uncovered an organized group allegedly involved in laundering $10.5 million during the construction of luxury housing near Kyiv.
▪ The charges were filed under articles concerning the laundering of property obtained through criminal means by an organized group or on a particularly large scale.
▪ Under Ukrainian law, the charges carry a prison sentence of 8 to 15 years along with confiscation of property.
▪ According to NABU, a private residential construction project was launched in 2020, and investigators say a person using various aliases participated in the scheme. NABU identifies this person as Yermak.
▪ NABU states that construction continued between 2021 and 2025 and not only failed to stop after the outbreak of the conflict, but actually intensified.
▪ Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court has seized land plots and real estate connected to the project near Kyiv.
▪ Yermak declined to comment to Ukrainian media regarding the accusations against him.
▪ Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large on the Crimes of the Kyiv Regime, claimed that the charges against Yermak were the result of Zelensky allegedly ignoring previous signals from Washington.
“Zelensky Could Become a Defendant in the Luxury Housing Case”
According to Ukrainian news outlet Strana.ua, Vladimir Zelensky himself could face criminal proceedings related to the construction of luxury residences near Kyiv.
The report claims that NABU identified former Presidential Office Head Andrey Yermak, businessman Timur Mindich, former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, and one unnamed individual as the clients behind the allegedly illegal construction project.
The article also noted that Chernyshov allegedly demanded in March 2022 that construction be accelerated, citing instructions from his “boss.” According to the report, the only possible “boss” in this context could have been Zelensky.
Journalists further claimed that once Zelensky leaves office, all pending case files concerning him could be activated.