Former Zelensky aide says corruption allegations are unfounded

Andriy Yermak rejected corruption claims against him as “unfounded” after appearing in court, pushing back publicly as the high-profile case deepens scrutiny of Ukraine’s political elite.

Once President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aide, Mr Yermak stepped down in November 2025 after investigators searched his home in a far-reaching corruption inquiry that sent shockwaves through the country as it continued to fight a full-scale war.

“The notice of suspicion is unfounded,” Mr Yermak, 54, wrote on Telegram after the hearing, referring to the formal Ukrainian procedural notice informing a person they are suspected of a crime.

“As a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, I have always been guided by the law. And now I will likewise defend my rights, my name, and my reputation,” he added.

At the hearing, a prosecutor alleged that those who spent money on construction projects at the “Dynasty” cottage site had been dealing with assets believed to have been obtained through criminal means and had intended to take further steps to legalise that property.

Mr Yermak flatly denied the accusations. “I own only one apartment and one car,” he told journalists, including AFP, during a break in proceedings.

Just over an hour before the hearing began, anti-corruption investigators and prosecutors held an unexpected press conference on Tuesday to defend the case and the evidence behind it.

“Whenever we reach the stage of notifying a suspect of the charges, we are confident that we have gathered sufficient evidence to ensure that the charges will stand up in court,” said Semen Kryvonos, head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).

Mr Yermak resigned last year as investigators pursued what NABU has dubbed Operation Midas, an alleged large-scale corruption scheme that the bureau says reached into the highest levels of government.

Last summer, Ukraine’s government tried to curb the independence of NABU and SAPO, the two anti-corruption bodies created after the country’s 2014 pro-democracy uprising.

That effort sparked rare anti-government protests during wartime and ultimately forced Mr Zelensky to reverse course following criticism from the EU, Kyiv’s most important financial and military supporter.

Kremlin says no ‘specifics’ on ending Ukraine war despite Putin’s words

In a separate development, the Kremlin said today there was still no concrete framework for ending the war in Ukraine, only days after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II might be nearing its conclusion.

Overnight, Moscow and Kyiv resumed attacks after the expiry of a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, with both sides accusing the other of breaching the pause.

After lashing out at NATO and wishing his troops a swift advance, Mr Putin said over the weekend — without offering details — that he believed the war was “heading to an end”.

Those remarks prompted confusion, as diplomatic efforts to halt Moscow’s offensive have yielded little and Mr Putin has shown no indication of retreating from his sweeping demands on Ukraine.

The Kremlin later moved to clarify the comments, saying there were “no specifics” behind Mr Putin’s statement.

“The president said that Russia remains open to contact and that work has been done in a trilateral format,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“The accumulated groundwork in terms of the peace process allows us to say that the end is drawing near… But in this context, it is not possible at the moment to speak about any specifics,” Mr Peskov said.

Mr Peskov also said Mr Putin would agree to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outside Russia only if such a meeting were for the signing of a final peace settlement.

The Russian leader made the comments after a reduced Victory Day celebration in Moscow, staged amid heightened concern over possible Ukrainian drone strikes and as signs of war fatigue among Russians increasingly weigh on Mr Putin’s approval ratings at home.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin during the Victory Day military parade

US ceasefire ends

So far, negotiations aimed at ending the war have failed to produce a breakthrough, with the Iran conflict drawing attention away from the diplomacy.

Still, Mr Trump’s ceasefire announcement raised fresh hopes that talks led by the United States might regain momentum.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

Moscow has repeatedly said Ukraine must withdraw from the parts of the eastern Donbas region it still controls before any peace agreement can be reached.

Kyiv has rejected that condition.

Ukraine said Russia brought the three-day ceasefire to an end by launching more than 200 attack drones that damaged energy infrastructure and apartment buildings and killed at least one person.

“The humanitarian ceasefire is over. The special military operation is continuing,” Mr Peskov said, using the Kremlin’s term for the invasion.

Russia’s military said Ukraine had also resumed retaliatory strikes on Russian territory, adding that its air defence systems destroyed 27 Ukrainian drones after the truce expired.

Mr Trump announced the pause on Friday, just hours before Mr Putin oversaw the scaled-back military parade in Red Square.

AFP journalists in Kyiv heard air raid sirens and explosions across the Ukrainian capital during the latest assault.

“Russia itself chose to end the partial silence that had lasted for several days. Overnight, more than 200 attack drones were launched against Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities ordered the partial evacuation of families with children from areas of the frontline city of Nikopol.

“Russia must end this war, and it is Russia that must take the step toward a real, lasting ceasefire,” Mr Zelensky added.

The Kremlin, however, said it was Kyiv that needed to make concessions.

Mr Zelensky said yesterday that combat with Russian forces had continued despite the truce, accusing Moscow of having no real intention of ending the war.

Russia, for its part, accused Ukraine of sending drones against its positions during the ceasefire.