‘Andriy Yermak’s removal creates vacuum in Ukraine’s diplomatic strategy when Kremlin remains publicly unyielding on territorial demands’
Diplomat Correspondent
KYIV: A high-level corruption scandal targeting Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Andriy Yermak has shaken the war-torn country where a peace-deal was about to come to yield fruit.
Following Andriy Yermak’s alleged scandal that stunned the international diplomatic community, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the resignation of his powerful Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak.
The departure followed a dramatic early-morning raid on Yermak’s residence by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
As per the allegations, while Yermak has not been formally charged with a crime, investigators are probing a $ 100 million embezzlement scheme in the energy sector. The scandal reportedly involves close associates of the president and alleged kickbacks tied to the country’s energy grid.
As a negotiator Yermak had been the primary architect of Ukraine’s recent high-stakes negotiations with the U.S. and Russia. Days before the unearthing of the scandal, he was in Geneva and Florida refining a 20 – point peace plan backed by the Trump administration.
In a somber video address, Zelenskyy informed that the “Office of the President will be reorganized,” explaining that no official is above the law and that “unity is our only path to survival.”
The removal of Yermak leaves a vacuum in Ukraine’s diplomatic strategy at a moment when the Kremlin remains publicly unyielding on territorial demands.
Equally, the breach of security in Moscow suggests that the war’s “grey zone” operations are escalating, bringing the violence of the frontlines directly to the Russian elite.
Assassination Russian Army’s Lt. General Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow
Moscow is reeling from the targeted killing of Lt. General Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces in an attack on December 22, an explosive device planted under Sarvarov’s car detonated while he was driving on Yaseneva Street in Moscow.
“The blast killed him instantly, marking the third senior Russian general assassinated via car bomb in the capital within the last year,” the reports claimed.
What it would impact: Sarvarov was a veteran of the Chechen and Syrian wars and held a critical role in overseeing the combat readiness of Russian troops currently fighting in Ukraine.
Ukraine fears retaliation: Russia’s Investigative Committee has blamed Ukrainian intelligence services while Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility.
Despite the diplomatic chaos and high-profile assassinations, the frontline remains a “meat grinder.”
The US led peace planaA 20 – point draft is currently being reviewed by Moscow. It proposes a demilitarized zone in the Donbas and joint management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant.
As the frontline shifts, Russian forces continue to inch forward in the Donetsk region, capturing small settlements at a high human cost, while Ukraine uses long-range drones to target Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has indicated that any peace deal involving troop withdrawals or “free economic zones” will be put to a national referendum.
On the other hand, Russia continues to hammer Ukraine’s power grid with nightly drone swarms, leaving millions in the dark this Christmas.
