The case of Andrey Ermak. What is suspected of the ex-head of the office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian investigators consider the former head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, to be a participant in an organized scheme to launder 460 million hryvnias ($10 million). According to law enforcement officials, the money was spent through a project for the construction of luxury homes in the Kiev region. What you need to know about the corruption case is in the Izvestia article.

The essence of the matter

Yermak was called one of the most influential people in the entourage of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, but in November 2025 he resigned amid the corruption scandal surrounding Energoatom. Yermak is now suspected of laundering money obtained illegally (Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The maximum penalty under this article is up to 12 years in prison.

• Back in 2018, BLOOM Development received more than four hectares of land from the Kozinsky village Council of the Kiev region. One of the co-founders was Alexei Chernyshev, former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and ex-head of Naftogaz, whom the defendants in the case called "Che Guevara." Later, he transferred his share to his wife, as he headed the Kiev regional administration.

• In 2020, the idea of a private residences project "Dynasty" appeared. According to the investigation, businessman Timur Mindich and Andrey Ermak joined him. The project participants were going to build four houses with an area of about 1 thousand square meters each. The cost of one residence was estimated at about $2 million. A separate shared facility with a spa complex, swimming pool and gym was also planned. Work started in 2021 and continued in 2022 after the outbreak of the conflict in Donbas. Part of the money was spent through a housing cooperative, and the main financing came from cash of criminal origin.

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• It was decided to freeze construction in 2025. The defendants in the case tried to save the land and unfinished facilities from arrest, but the property was arrested anyway by court order. About $10 million was legalized through the scheme. Ermak himself, commenting on the charges, stated that he has "only one apartment and one car."

The scandal surrounding Energoatom

• In November 2025, a corruption crisis broke out in Ukraine due to the investigation of embezzlement at Energoatom (we wrote more about this case here). The investigation revealed a scheme of kickbacks in 10-15% of government contracts. The scandal implicated key political leaders of the country, including Yermak and former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The government dissolved the supervisory board of Energoatom and initiated an urgent audit of purchases, and the scandal caused political pressure, demands for resignations and discussion of the possible responsibility of the country's top leadership.

• The case file mentioned the pseudonym "Ali Baba", which is associated with Ermak in political circles. The total amount of laundered funds was at least $100 million. The investigation lasted more than 15 months and included about 1,000 hours of recordings.

• Amid the scandal, the Verkhovna Rada demanded Yermak's resignation, but Zelensky said there would be no personnel changes, and later appointed him head of the delegation to the negotiations on the settlement of the conflict. However, on November 25, the former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov was summoned to the NABU for questioning, during which he testified about the "Mindich case."

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• On November 28, Ermak's apartment and office were searched. On the same day, reports surfaced about possible charges against Ermak related to embezzlement during the construction of luxury homes in the Kiev region.

What is known about Ermak

Ermak was born in 1971 in Kiev. In 1995, he received a Master's degree in Private international Law and qualified as an English translator.

• After graduation, Ermak became involved in the legal and media business: he participated in the creation of several companies for the protection of copyright and intellectual property. Among the clients were the Inter TV channel, as well as the studios of Disney, Pixar and Universal. In the 2010s, Ermak and his brother developed the production company Garnet International Media Group, which, in particular, worked on the films "The Rule of Battle", "Squat32". Through the media sphere, he met Zelensky and Mindich.

• Since 2019, Ermak has worked in Zelensky's team, and in February 2020 he became head of the office of the President of Ukraine. He participated in prisoner exchange negotiations and Normandy Four meetings. In March 2025, he led the Ukrainian delegation at a meeting with U.S. representatives in Jeddah, where a 30-day truce was discussed.

• As a result of the scandal surrounding Energoatom, Ermak was dismissed from his post as head of the office of the President of Ukraine. After his retirement, he stated that he would go to the front. In March 2026, Ermak received a position at the National Bar Association and headed the committee on assistance to victims of the conflict and reconstruction of Ukraine. Ermak restored his right to practice law on January 23, 2026.