Zelensky on the edge as corruption probe rattles his inner circle and MPs grow restless
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent nearly four years fighting to define the soul of his nation. This week, the threat to his leadership did not come from the battlefield but from within his own circle. Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's powerful right-hand man and chief of staff, resigned on Friday after anti-corruption investigators raided his home and offices as part of a probe into an energy kickback scheme connected to Energoatom, the state nuclear power company. NABU and SAPO allege that a group of eight government officials were taking bribes tied to Energoatom, with the group said to have collected 10–15 per cent of the value of each contract, amounting to £75 million that was unlawfully diverted to a small insider circle. Such money could have funded Ukraine’s defense against Russian attacks. Opposition voices have sought to link Yermak to the scandal, arguing that either he or one of his subordinates is the anonymous figure referred to as “Ali Baba” in wiretapped conversations related to the investigation. The 54-year-old previously denied involvement in the scheme, telling German newspaper Welt last week: "People mention me, and sometimes, absolutely without any evidence, they try to accuse me of things I don't even know about." The scandal provoked further anger after a former Ukrainian government official said the businessman allegedly at the head of the scheme “had an apartment with golden toilets.” Timur Mindich is a long-time contact of Zelensky's and a figure who appears to be closely linked to Zelensky's inner circle. Even before Zelensky’s shock rise to high office in 2019, Mindich was said to be one of his closest associates. Zelensky used Mindich's armored car during the final stretch of his presidential campaign in 2019, and in 2021 Zelensky celebrated his birthday in the businessman's apartment during COVID. The two own properties in the same building. Along with Mindich and Yermak, two ministers were forced to resign amid the scandal. The long list of top-level scalps has seen support waver among the Ukrainian people. Oleksandr Merezhko, an MP in Zelensky's Servant of the People party and a former adviser on the president's election campaign, now chair of the foreign affairs committee, told The Sunday Times: "I think it was in the interests of the president and the country to at least suspend Yermak while the investigation is ongoing. \"He was a good chief of staff but this shouldn't be allowed to cast a shadow on the president, especially when such serious peace negotiations are taking place.\"" Kira Rudik, leader of Holos, the opposition party in Ukraine's parliament, told the Sunday Times: "There were so many painful things on those wiretaps. For example, they were talking about how not to build protection for our energy infrastructure. They said it was a waste of money. It is very painful to think that all of this trust from world leaders and from the Ukrainian people, who were all working together for the good of Ukraine, was being used by a close circle of the president to create this massive corruption scheme. We are facing an incredibly tough winter." The upheaval comes at a pivotal moment in the invasion. This weekend, top Trump administration officials were meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida to broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, while talks were planned in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian delegation included Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine's armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister; and Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's security council. Negotiators were focused on revisions to a 28-point peace plan developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow, a framework the Trump team has described as a starting point to be "fine-tuned." Trump said he would send Witkoff and perhaps Kushner to Moscow to meet with Putin about the plan. Zelensky wrote on X that the Ukrainian delegation would "swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war." In his nightly address on Saturday, Zelensky said the American side was "demonstrating a constructive approach." "In the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end," he said. On Saturday, Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Kyiv killed at least three people and wounded dozens more, officials said. Fresh attacks overnight into Sunday killed one person and wounded 19 others, including four children, when a drone hit a nine-story apartment block in Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region. In a post on Telegram on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles: "Such attacks occur daily. This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine's resilience every day. Missiles and air defense systems are necessary, and we must also actively work with our partners for peace," Zelensky added. "We need real, reliable solutions that will help end the war." After Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, Kazakhstan urged Ukraine to stop attacks on the Black Sea terminal, saying: "We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," per Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry.
The £75 million kickback and the shadow over Zelensky's inner circle
The energy kickback scheme reportedly involved a group of eight officials who allegedly sought to skim a portion of contract values from Energoatom, the state nuclear power company. The total value of the bribes is estimated at £75 million, representing 10–15 per cent of each contract. The money, investigators say, was unlawfully funneled to a tight circle around the government, funds that could have supported Ukraine’s defences in the face of Russian aggression. The scandal has fed anger at a time when the country is grappling with blackouts and an energy crisis amid the invasion. The affair has drawn direct links to Zelensky’s closest circle, including Timur Mindich, a businessman described as a long-time contact of Zelensky and a figure whose rise is seen by Ukrainian officials as closely connected to Zelensky’s inner circle. The former government official who mentioned Mindich’s alleged “golden toilets” residence added to the sense of excess and privilege surrounding the accused. In the wake of the probe, Mindich’s and Yermak’s futures became the focal point of public scrutiny. Two ministers also resigned amid the scandal. Oleksandr Merezhko, a Servant of the People MP and the chair of the foreign affairs committee, told The Sunday Times: "I think it was in the interests of the president and the country to at least suspend Yermak while the investigation is ongoing. 'He was a good chief of staff but this shouldn't be allowed to cast a shadow on the president, especially when such serious peace negotiations are taking place.'" The opposition, including Kira Rudik of Holos, cautioned that the revelations endangered trust at a critical moment. The section ends with the public mood shifting as people brace for a difficult winter and the political calculus shifts around the war’s diplomacy and peace prospects.
War diplomacy, Russian strikes, and Ukraine’s fight for peace
The controversy lands as Ukraine seeks momentum on multiple fronts. The Trump administration’s emissaries in Florida pressed to broker an end to Russia’s war, weighing revisions to Trump’s 28-point framework that would, among other things, constrain Ukraine’s military size, block NATO accession, and demand elections within 100 days. Trump described the plan as a starting point—“a concept” or a “map” to be fine-tuned—while stating that he would likely send Witkoff and possibly Kushner to Moscow to meet Putin. Zelensky commented on the development, posting on X that the Ukrainian delegation would "swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war." In a separate nightly address, he noted that the American side was "demonstrating a constructive approach" and that the coming days could see detailed steps toward a dignified end to the conflict: "In the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end." Meanwhile, Russian strikes continued. On Saturday, drone and missile attacks around Kyiv killed at least three people and wounded dozens more. Officials reported more casualties overnight into Sunday, including one death and 19 injuries, among them four children, after a drone hit a nine-story apartment building in Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region. Zelensky also addressed the daily onslaught via Telegram, stating that Russia had attacked Ukraine with 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles. He added: "Such attacks occur daily. This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine's resilience every day. Missiles and air defense systems are necessary, and we must also actively work with our partners for peace. We need real, reliable solutions that will help end the war." In a related development, Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal near the Russian port of Novorossiysk. Kazakhstan subsequently urged Ukraine to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal, stating: "We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future."
