Ukraine’s anti-corruption court Thursday ordered the arrest of Andriy Yermak, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former head of his administration, on money-laundering charges.
The court also set bail at 140 million hryvnias ($3.19 million), which would allow Yermak, who has denied the allegations, to be released pending a final ruling in his case.
“I don’t have that kind of money, and my lawyer will now work with friends and acquaintances” to raise the money for bail, Yermak told reporters after the court’s decision.
“My legal team will file an appeal. We will use every legal avenue to seek justice and the truth.”
Ukrainian authorities named Yermak on Monday as a suspect in a major corruption probe. His arrest is the closest anti-corruption officials have come to the president’s inner circle.
Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies said in a statement that Yermak is suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered around $10.5 million through an elite housing development outside the capital, Kyiv.
Yermak, a former film producer and entertainment lawyer, was widely seen as Ukraine’s second most powerful person after Zelenskyy, wielding outsize influence across much of Ukrainian politics despite holding an unelected position.
He frequently appeared at Zelenskyy’s side at public events and had also been Kyiv’s lead negotiator in U.S.-backed peace talks with Russia.
He resigned last year amid a broader government shake-up aimed at restoring trust in the president’s office, which has been shadowed by allegations of centralized power.
Charges against Yermak are not likely to pose an immediate threat to Zelenskyy, but they could lead to longer-term reputational damage if he runs for re-election after the war.
The prosecutors have stressed that Zelenskyy has not been implicated.
There was no immediate reaction from the president’s office to the court decision. The Kremlin called it a “problem for the Kyiv regime,” saying it was not following the case.
Ukraine’s capital and other regions were pummeled overnight by hundreds of Russian drones, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles, the country’s air force said.
It was the first combined missile and drone barrage since the end of a brief U.S.-brokered ceasefire just days ago as peace talks to end the war have stalled amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Ukrainian authorities reported at least five people dead and dozens injured across the country in the overnight strikes. An entire section of a residential building in Kyiv was destroyed, Zelenskyy said on X.
Images posted by the State Emergency Service showed rescuers digging through the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in search of survivors. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said earlier that 11 people had been rescued.
Zelenskyy said: “In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities. These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged “a massive strike” Thursday, saying it was targeting military infrastructure. It made no mention of the residential building hit in Kyiv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to suggest his four-year invasion could be coming to an end this weekend, but the Kremlin has since clarified that “a great deal of homework still needs to be done” before any peace deal is signed. Putin also showed no signs of dialing down his threats as he said Tuesday that the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack Thursday during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China showed Russia wants to continue fighting despite a peace push by Washington.
“There should be no illusions or wishful thinking: only pressure on Moscow can force him to stop,” he wrote on X. “I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough leverage over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war.”
