Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-05-12

NABU Serves Former Presidential Office Chief Yermak with Money Laundering Suspicion in Dynasty Case

On May 11, NABU and SAPO served former Presidential Office chief Andrii Yermak a notice of suspicion for money laundering under Article 209.3 of the Criminal Code, in connection with the Dynasty luxury construction project outside Kyiv. Yermak left the Presidential Office in late 2025 after NABU conducted searches at his residence; Zelenskyy appointed intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his replacement on January 2. Ukrainska Pravda, citing agency statements, put the alleged laundered sum at UAH 460 million (roughly $6 million), with NABU reporting that roughly 90 percent of construction financing flowed through cash channels tied to entities it described as fictitious and linked to an Energoatom corruption scheme. NABU identified former Deputy Prime Minister and Naftogaz CEO Oleksii Chernyshov, codenamed "Che Guevara," as the scheme's organizer, and the High Anti-Corruption Court has seized the Dynasty land and five unfinished structures at the Kozyn site.

Analysis
The formal suspicion against Yermak, corroborated across Ukrainska Pravda, Euromaidan Press, and Censor.NET, is the highest-profile anti-corruption action tied to the presidential inner circle since the full-scale invasion. The Dynasty scheme's documented structure, cash channels, fictitious entities, and an Energoatom laundering operation, constitutes the concrete evidence EU Chapter 23 screening evaluates directly. The five-month lag between Yermak's departure and formal charges may reflect deliberate pacing to limit Zelensky's political exposure rather than a live test of NABU's independence. Whether the Specialized Anti-Corruption Court advances proceedings against a figure of this stature under wartime conditions is genuinely uncertain through end of 2026.

4 sources

Zelensky Office makes first statement on Yermak suspicion - Censor.NET
Zelenskyy's former chief of staff Yermak charged with money laundering - Ukrainska Pravda
NABU and SAPO serve notice of suspicion on Yermak in "Dynasty" case - Censor.NET
Ukraine anti-corruption agencies serve suspicion notice to ex-Presidential Office head Yermak over alleged $10M laundering - Euromaidan Press