MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. The corruption scandal involving Vladimir Zelensky’s closest circle has plunged Ukraine’s government into its most serious crisis since early 2022, analysts from the Ukrainian outlet Strana said.
After the so-called Mindich’s case files were made public, the opposition parties European Solidarity, led by former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko (listed as a person involved in extremist activities or terrorism by Russia’s financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring), and Batkivshchina, headed by former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, demanded the government’s resignation, and the formation of a new parliamentary coalition made up of more than just the pro-presidential Servant of the People party. They also demanded the dismissal of the head of Zelensky’s office, Andrey Yermak, who has long been referred to as the "gray cardinal" of Ukrainian politics, a Russian term implying he's the one who wields the real power in the government.
As the analysts noted, Zelensky’s office has faced similar pressure before. However, this time the situation is complicated by the fact that some MPs of the ruling Servant of the People party might join the opposition. This turn of events would dramatically change the balance of power. A party insider told the outlet the situation could be described as a revolt.
Strana explained that Zelensky cannot threaten to dissolve a rebellious parliament. The martial law, imposed in the country in February 2022, prevents the Verkhovna Rada’s mandate from being terminated. Strana’s sources say that Zelensky is hesitant to dismiss Yermak since "too much depends on him." "But if he must choose between losing control over the Rada and firing Yermak, he might opt for giving Yermak the ax. The problem is that even in that case, he could still lose control over the Rada, the government, and the entire chain of command. So the decision will be a difficult one for Zelensky," the outlet’s sources said.
On November 10, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a large-scale operation to uncover a major corruption scheme in the energy sector. Timur Mindich, a businessman and Zelensky’s friend, was dubbed the coordinator of the criminal scheme. Mindich left Ukraine a few hours before the searches were conducted and is currently in Israel. Charges have also been filed against ex-Deputy Minister Alexey Chernyshov, a member of Zelensky’s inner circle. Later, information appeared that Yermak may feature on the Mindich case files under the pseudonym Ali Baba.