Opinion

The investigation “State Children” reveals abuse of Ukrainian orphans evacuated to Turkey, while officials remain silent and Olena Zelenska avoids addressing her role in protecting them.

Andriy Yermak handed MH17 witness Volodymyr Tsemah to Russia in September 2019, despite investigators’ objections, shocking Dutch and Australian authorities and raising corruption concerns.

Denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance of Yermak’s resignation. This is how you can briefly describe an almost three-week marathon of events around the former head of the Presidential Office. A person who, in almost 6 years, seemed to have become so powerful that even the president did not dare to shift him.

Yulia Mendel, former aide (2019-2021) to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, worked with Andriy Yermak (then head of the Presidential Office) during her last year in office. Mendel shared with Radio Liberty her thoughts on Yermak in Ukrainian politics and his influence on Zelenskyy.

Although Yermak has left Bankova, his influence persists through figures like Tatarov and Prosecutor General Kravchenko, while NABU detective Magamedrasulov remains unlawfully detained to date.

Russian influence helped Andriy Yermak rise from assistant to head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, using psychological tactics and direct Kremlin pressure to shape Zelenskyy’s decisions.

In 2025, Russian forces made significant advances across Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions, exploiting gaps between Ukrainian positions and shortages of infantry.

A growing body of evidence suggests that Andriy Yermak’s decisions – from influencing defense policy and sabotaging key operations to shaping diplomatic missteps and internal political conflicts – may not have aligned with Ukraine’s national interests.

While Ukraine fights on multiple fronts, Russia is locking in one of its biggest strategic gains — turning the Azov Sea into a de facto internal Russian lake under the guise of “research,” with Kyiv struggling to counter amid corruption and limited resources.

In 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed to close his Russian business, but investigations by Slidstvo.Info reveal that Studio “Kvartal-95” associates may still control Russian film companies. After Zelenskyy’s divestment, the Cypriot company Green Family Ltd, which owns Russian Platinum Film, was taken over by Latvian handyman Ihors Zalivskis, unlikely a real beneficiary.

Andriy Yermak, aka Ali Baba, central to Mindichgate, directed law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies, protected allies, and influenced key decisions, while the President appears unwilling to dismiss him.

Centrenergo’s agreement with the little‑known Teplosfera UA exposed a systemic corruption risk in Ukraine’s energy sector. After receiving a 132‑million‑hryvnia advance, the intermediary delivered only a fraction of the contracted coal and provided no real guarantees, despite the contract requiring payment after delivery.