Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrij Jermak, resigned on 29 November after being dismissed Friday and announced he would go to the front.
Jermak resigns and declares he will go to the front
Volodymyr Zelensky is set to choose his chief of staff on Saturday, 29 November, following a Friday dismissal of Andrij Jermak. The politician, regarded as the president’s closest aide and informally the second‑most powerful person in the state, resigned amid an intensifying corruption scandal. In a Friday evening message to the New York Post, Jermak announced he was heading to the front line: “I have been insulted and my dignity was not respected, even though I have been in Kyiv since 24 February 2024. I do not want to cause problems for Zelensky – I am going to the front.” He added that he is a “honest and decent person” and that he was “disgusted by the smear against me, and by the lack of support from those who know the truth.”
Search of Jermak’s home and fallout
Friday searches of Andrij Jermak’s home were carried out by anti‑corruption investigators, and his resignation has triggered a political storm around the Dnipro region, since Jermak was seen as the most influential figure in Ukrainian politics. Earlier this month, Ukrainian services announced a wide‑scale corruption probe involving a $100 million operation in the state nuclear energy company Energoatom. Prosecutors said that high‑ranking state officials and Timur Mindicz, a former business partner of President Zelensky, were allegedly involved. Jermak had not been identified as a suspect in this case.
Zelensky to name a new chief
Zelensky aims to distance himself from the scandal and said he would quickly appoint a successor. He announced that on Saturday he would hold consultations with those who could take on the new chief of staff position. Potential candidates include former deputy chief of staff Major Pawel Palisa. As a military officer, he could bring additional credibility to the role. Jermak’s resignation also left a vacancy for the lead negotiator in talks with Americans on the peace plan. Negotiations hit a hard point as Ukrainians refuse to yield territory to Russia or curtail sovereignty.
