A major corruption scandal rocks Ukraine as Russia launches fierce airstrikes on the capital

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency revealed on Monday the involvement of a former high-ranking official in a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme.

Media reports identified the official as Andriy Yermak, the former head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.

Yermak was until late last year one of Zelensky’s closest aides and right-hand man during most of the war.

He resigned in November 2025 after his home was raided as part of an investigation into a massive corruption case in the energy sector.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it had dismantled an organized group that laundered 460 million hryvnia ($10.5 million) through a luxury real estate project near Kyiv.

He added, “One of the members of this group, a former head of the Ukrainian president’s office, has been informed of the charges against him,” noting that “the investigations are proceeding rapidly”.

Yermak served as Zelensky’s top aide from 2020 to 2025, and his downfall has sent shockwaves through Ukraine and its political class.

Ukraine has been plagued by several major corruption scandals during the war with Russia, which has entered its fifth year.

Zelensky appointed former intelligence chief Kirill Budanov to replace Yermak.

Meanwhile, Kyiv was subjected to an air attack at dawn on Tuesday, after a three-day truce with Russia expired, according to Ukrainian authorities.

This is the first-time air raid sirens have sounded in Kyiv since May 8, as the regional military administration in Kyiv informed residents of the need to remain in shelters, noting that its air defenses might be operating in the area.

Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations of launching attacks against civilians during the three-day ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump.