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Morning opening: Zelenskyy's number two sees apartment searched as part of anti-graft probe
Jakub Krupa
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities are searching properties linked to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
In a post on Telegram, Yermak confirmed the authorities were given “full access” to his apartment, and that he is cooperating with the officers, with his lawyers present.
In a joint statement, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said the searches were “authorised” and linked to an unspecified investigation.
“NABU and SAPO are conducting investigative actions (searches) at the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” they said. “Investigative actions are authorised and are being carried out within the framework of an investigation.”
It was not immediately clear what was the investigation about.
Reuters noted that erlier this month, the two agencies unveiled a sweeping investigation into an alleged $100m kickback scheme at the stage atomic energy company, involving Zelenskyy’s ex-business partner.
While Yermak has not been named a suspect in the investigation, but opposition lawmakers and some members of Zelenskyy’s own party had called for his dismissal as part of Ukraine’s worst wartime political crisis, the agency said.
Earlier this year, Ukraine had been engulfed in a political crisis over Zelenskyy’s controversial plans to reform the anti-corruption authorites, which ultimately had to be reversed after intense international criticism, including from the European Union, which continues to say that the fight against corruption remains one of Ukraine’s key task on its path to join the bloc.
The searches come at a tricky time for Ukraine amid growing pressure from the US to agree to a peace deal with Russia, and any perceived or real sense of wrongdoings at the top of the government could undermine Ukraine’s position further.
This could be explosive.
I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.
It’s Friday, 28 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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Yermak's property search will have huge repercussions for Ukraine and potentially peace talks — snap reaction
Shaun Walker
The revelations that anti-corruption police are searching the property of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak will have huge repercussions for the Ukrainian political scene and possibly for peace negotiations as well.
It is hard to overstate the significance of Yermak in the Ukrainian political system.
He combines multiple roles for Zelenskyy: most trusted sounding board, domestic political enforcer, controller of access to the president, main point of contact for foreign politicians and chief peace negotiator.
Yermak is such a powerful chief of staff that people who know how the president’s office operates describe his relationship with Zelenskyy as symbiotic.
Those who have dealt with Yermak, both inside and outside Ukraine, describe him as a workaholic and a ruthless operator, who has moved against alternative centres of political influence in the country and has systematically worked to acquire political power.
With such influence inevitably comes enemies, and there are few in the Ukrainian elite who have a positive view of Yermak, though many admire his work ethic and political skills.
Foreign politicians have often appreciated knowing they can use Yermak as a direct line to the president, but some have found him a frustrating interlocutor, and figures in the Trump White House are known to have expressed a preference for dealing with Rustem Umerov, the current head of Ukraine’s security council, over Yermak.
Up to now, Zelenskyy has always resisted calls to fire Yermak or even clip his wings, but if he is now caught up in a corruption scandal, these are likely to get louder. Politically, getting rid of his chief of staff might be Zelenskyy’s smartest move, but those who know both men say the relationship is so close it’s hard to imagine Zelenskyy taking that step.
“I suppose it’s theoretically possible that Zelenskyy could function without him but in practice I can’t imagine that ever happening,” one former senior official told me a couple of months ago.
Hungary's Orbán expected to visit Putin for talks on energy, Ukraine
Another big story happening today is Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s unexpected visit to Moscow, where he is due for talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on energy supplies and ending the Ukraine war.
“I am going there to ensure that Hungary’s energy supply is secured for the winter and the following year at an affordable price,” Orbán said in a video uploaded to Facebook.
Hungary has been Russia’s closest ally in the EU, repeatedly criticising the bloc’s response to the Russian aggression on Ukraine, calling for more engagement with Moscow and for sanctions to be lifted.
AFP noted that since returning to power in 2010, Orbán has met Putin 15 times, including four times since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Hungarian prime minister is facing a tricky parliamentary election early next year, with his Fidesz party trailing behind the pro-EU opposition forces in the polls, which may explain why he is looking for successes wherever he can find it.
If you’re wondering how serious for Ukraine and Zelenskyy this could get, let’s just say that Yermak has overnight literally fronted Ukraine’s response to the latest peace talks, with an interview in The Atlantic magazine in the US.
Characterised as “Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, lead negotiator and closest aid throughout the full-scale war with Russia,” Yermak insisted that “not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory.”
“As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory,” he told the magazine by telephone from Kyiv.
He was also directly involved in the talks in Geneva over the weekend.
Morning opening: Zelenskyy's number two sees apartment searched as part of anti-graft probe
Jakub Krupa
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities are searching properties linked to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
In a post on Telegram, Yermak confirmed the authorities were given “full access” to his apartment, and that he is cooperating with the officers, with his lawyers present.
In a joint statement, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said the searches were “authorised” and linked to an unspecified investigation.
“NABU and SAPO are conducting investigative actions (searches) at the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” they said. “Investigative actions are authorised and are being carried out within the framework of an investigation.”
It was not immediately clear what was the investigation about.
Reuters noted that erlier this month, the two agencies unveiled a sweeping investigation into an alleged $100m kickback scheme at the stage atomic energy company, involving Zelenskyy’s ex-business partner.
While Yermak has not been named a suspect in the investigation, but opposition lawmakers and some members of Zelenskyy’s own party had called for his dismissal as part of Ukraine’s worst wartime political crisis, the agency said.
Earlier this year, Ukraine had been engulfed in a political crisis over Zelenskyy’s controversial plans to reform the anti-corruption authorites, which ultimately had to be reversed after intense international criticism, including from the European Union, which continues to say that the fight against corruption remains one of Ukraine’s key task on its path to join the bloc.
The searches come at a tricky time for Ukraine amid growing pressure from the US to agree to a peace deal with Russia, and any perceived or real sense of wrongdoings at the top of the government could undermine Ukraine’s position further.
This could be explosive.
I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.
It’s Friday, 28 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
