00:00Ukraine is facing a political shakeup
00:27as President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff,
00:31Andriy Yermak,
00:32resigns amid the country's largest corruption scandal in years.
00:38Earlier today,
00:39Zelensky announced that Yermak submitted his resignation
00:42following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau,
00:47known as NABU, at his offices.
00:50The scandal centers on the state nuclear company Energo Atom,
00:54where NABU has charged eight suspects,
00:58including Timur Mindich,
01:00one of Zelensky's closest allies,
01:03accused of orchestrating the scheme.
01:05In a statement,
01:07Zelensky said there will be a reset of the president's office
01:11and thanked Yermak for representing Ukraine in negotiations,
01:16including the recent U.S.-Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland.
01:21But the scandal doesn't stop there.
01:23Rustom Umerov,
01:25Secretary of the Security and Defense Council,
01:29is also under investigation.
01:31Earlier this month,
01:33Justice Minister Herman Galushchenko
01:35and Energy Minister Zvitlana Hrinchuk
01:39were fired over the scandal,
01:41though they haven't been charged yet.
01:43Mindich, the alleged ringleader,
01:46fled Ukraine and has been sanctioned and placed on the wanted list.
01:52According to reports,
01:53Yermak himself has been implicated in the corruption scheme,
01:57with investigators reportedly calling him Alibaba.
02:01Sources say he may have benefited from luxury properties
02:05financed through Energo Atom funds.
02:07Yermak has not publicly responded to these allegations,
02:11and the president's office did not comment.
02:15Despite the backlash,
02:17Zelensky had previously defended Yermak,
02:20praising his management skills and trustworthiness,
02:23saying he carried out his task exactly as instructed.
02:26With Yermak stepping down,
02:30Zelensky said he will consult tomorrow
02:32on a new head of the president's office.
02:36For ongoing negotiations,
02:38the Ukrainian delegation will now include
02:41the Secretary of the Security and Defense Council,
02:44the head of the general staff,
02:46and representatives from the foreign ministry
02:49and intelligence agencies.
02:50This resignation marks a dramatic moment
02:54in Zelensky's presidency
02:56as Ukraine continues to grapple
02:58with high-level corruption
03:00while facing international diplomatic challenges.
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