Zelenskyy’s top aide resigns after search by anticorruption investigators

Ukrainian president says chief of staff Andriy Yermak has submitted his resignation amid wide-scale corruption inquiry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned, as a major corruption investigation continues to roil Kyiv and cause consternation among its allies.

Zelenskyy’s announcement on Friday came just hours after anticorruption authorities searched Yermak’s home.

“The Office of the President of Ukraine will be reorganised. The head of the office, Andriy Yermak, has submitted his resignation,” the Ukrainian president said in a video address, adding he would hold consultations with a possible replacement on Saturday.

Yermak, who had been leading the Ukrainian team trying to negotiate a United States-proposed plan to end Kyiv’s four-year war with Russia, had confirmed his apartment was being searched earlier in the day and said he was fully cooperating.

“There are no obstacles for the investigators. They have been given full access to the apartment, and my lawyers are present on-site, cooperating with the law enforcement officers. From my side, there is full cooperation,” he wrote on social media.