Ukrainian court orders arrest of Zelenskyy’s ex-chief of staff in corruption case

Ukraine’s anti-corruption court on Thursday ordered the arrest of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, for 60 days on money-laundering charges.

According to the ruling published on the court’s official website, bail was set at 140 million hryvnias (about $3.1 million).

Yermak was formally charged in May with laundering property obtained through criminal means. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Speaking during the hearing, Yermak said his legal team would appeal the court’s decision on the pretrial measure.

He also said he did not have the funds to post bail himself, but had “enough acquaintances and friends” who could do so on his behalf.

The court ruled that if bail is posted, Yermak will be fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet and barred from leaving Kyiv. He will also be required to surrender his foreign and diplomatic passports and refrain from contacting businessman Timur Mindich, former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, and other witnesses.

The defense described the case as “politically motivated.”

Yermak served as chief of staff from 2020 to 2025, when he was dismissed amid corruption allegations.

Media reports have linked Yermak to alleged corruption schemes connected to Mindich, a central figure in a Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation known as “Operation Midas.”

Mindich and Zelenskyy are longtime business associates and acquaintances connected through the entertainment company Kvartal 95. The case has drawn attention because of their longstanding professional ties.

Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies suspect Mindich of involvement in a large-scale embezzlement and kickback scheme tied to the state energy company Energoatom. According to media reports, investigators allege the scheme involved about $100 million. Mindich denies wrongdoing.