Ukrainian law enforcement agencies conducted a search targeting the driver of former head of Ukraine’s Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, seizing phones and other electronic media, as local outlets report new details of the probe.
Investigators want to carry out a full probe and do not plan to “rush the investigation to please public opinion,” ZN.ua reported, citing a well-informed source.
Journalists noted that on the morning of November 28, 2025, searches were conducted at the Office of the President. At the time, sources said charges against Yermak were prepared, and he was dismissed as chief of staff later that day.
“Although NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) usually tries to serve notices of suspicion on the day of searches, that practice isn’t mandatory. For instance, the president’s close associate Oleksiy Chernyshov learned the substance of the anti-corruption agencies’ claims only four months after searches,” the source said, adding that Yermak himself has not yet been served with a notice of suspicion.
Media sources say a notice of suspicion for Yermak is only a matter of time.
A law enforcement interlocutor said the investigation is actively continuing and that NABU understands “both the prominence of the figure and the public demand for quick results.” At the same time, officials believe the delay in serving suspicion is due to objective reasons.
“The sole reason for the delay is the need to build an evidentiary base that can stand up in court,” the source explained.
It later emerged that on the day of the searches involving Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the heads of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). One source confirmed information about an “understanding” — that Yermak would not be served if the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) refrained from pursuing SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko. Other sources said SBU First Deputy Head Oleksandr Poklad had indeed prepared an “operation to remove Klymenko from office.”
“By this logic, the searches involving Yermak could have been conducted on an accelerated timeline to get ahead of possible SBU actions. If Klymenko were sidelined and with no deputy in place (SAPO First Deputy Andriy Syniuk had previously resigned), SAPO’s duties would have passed to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. That would have effectively blocked NABU’s ability to bring the Yermak investigation to a logical conclusion,” the source continued.
The interlocutor noted that NABU is well aware of the narrative about “trading” Klymenko for Yermak, and that it will persist until a notice of suspicion is served. But, sources emphasized, all participants understand this version “does not fit the broader picture.”
“According to them, NABU and SAPO leaders ‘crossed the Rubicon of fear for themselves’ long ago, and Klymenko has repeatedly said any fabricated suspicion against him would have no practical consequences,” the law enforcement source concluded.
