National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) Announce About the former head of the President’s Office Andrei Yermak. He is suspected of participating in an organized group involved in laundering 460 million hryvnia (about $10 million) through the construction of luxury housing near Kiev.
Ermak was charged on suspicion under the article on legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means (Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). It provides for imprisonment for a period ranging from eight to 12 years.
What was said in the NABU and SAPO investigation:
- In 2018, “Che Guevara” (according to Ukrainian media, this is the nickname given by those involved in the case to the former Deputy Prime Minister and former head of Naftogaz Alexei Chernyshev) became one of the founders of the BLOOM Development company, which bought more than four hectares of land from the Kozinsky village council in the Kiev region.
- In the same year, Chernyshev became head of the Kiev Regional State Administration, which is why he transferred a share in the company to his wife. In March 2020, Chernyshev heads the Ministry of Community and Regional Development, and in May the “concept of building” a private housing project called “Dynasty” was born on the lands owned by the “Bloom Development” company. In June of the same year, Chernyshev attracted the businessman and Ermak to the project, the investigation claims.
- The participants in the dynasty agreed to build four private residences on plots of land for their permanent residence. The area of each house was about a thousand square meters, and the cost of each house was about two million dollars. The defendants in the case also agreed to build a fifth shared residence, which was to include a spa area, swimming pool and gym. Home construction began in summer 2021.
- Funding was provided in two ways. As part of the first method, the people controlling Chernyshev created a housing cooperative, which served as the official customer for the construction. The money was deposited into the cooperative’s accounts, which were partly used to build housing.
- Under the second method, the bulk of construction financing came from cash obtained from crime. The money was transferred through Chernyshev’s personal assistant in one of the Kyiv offices. The investigation says another portion of the money passed through Mendic’s entourage.
- House construction did not stop even after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion, including during fighting in the Kiev region in the spring of 2022.
- After NABU and SAP in July 2025 I mentioned On Chernyshev’s suspicion of abusing his official position and obtaining illegal benefits, Mendich decided to temporarily stop work and construction. The defendants in the case also attempted to remove unfinished plots of land and facilities from possible confiscation, but were arrested at the request of anti-corruption authorities.
- According to investigators, approximately $10 million was laundered during construction.
After receiving doubts from NABU and SAP, Andrei Ermak maleHe only owns “one car and one apartment.” He promised to give a more detailed comment after completing the investigation procedures.
Ukrainian President’s Advisor Dmitry Lytvyn commented on the suspicion of Andriy Yermak, male“This context has been around for a long time, so there is nothing surprising.” He added, “Procedural procedures are still ongoing, so it is too early to make assessments.”
Andriy Ermak was considered one of the key aides to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky; The media described him as the second most influential person in the country after the president. In November 2025, Zelensky reported that Ermak wrote his resignation letter. This happened against the backdrop of a corruption scandal related to embezzlement. Shortly before Ermak’s resignation, NABU and SAPO conducted searches at his apartment.