Shuffling
And just yesterday, Yermak solemnly declared that “as long as Zelensky is president”, Ukraine will not make any territorial concessions. Judging by the mood in Washington, this line appears to have been communicated to the Americans some time earlier.
Hence, within political circles, today’s raids are widely interpreted as a signal from Washington - delivered through the hands of NABU - to remind Zelensky that the situation is serious and that his position on the peace plan is due for adjustment.
Another explanation ties the case to a broader agenda long pursued by the emerging “anti-Zelensky coalition”: depriving the president of real power and turning him into a ceremonial figure - a sort of “English monarch” - through loss of control over the parliamentary majority and the government. A central element of that plan is the removal of Yermak. Zelensky has refused to do this so far. It appears new arguments have just been presented to him.
It is also worth noting that in recent days, rumors resurfaced that Yermak has been preparing a counteroffensive against NABU and SAP using security agencies loyal to the Presidential Office. Today’s actions by the anti-corruption institutions may have been designed precisely to pre-empt that scenario.
As was recently reported, NABU had warned Zelensky that it intended to serve notice of suspicion to Yermak. According to Ukrainian media, in an effort to protect him, Zelensky appointed Yermak head of the negotiation group. But, as we now see, this did not shield the President’s chief of staff from investigative measures.
Searches at the office of Yermak were likely performance rather than an investigation. He knew they were coming, which explains his sudden enthusiasm for joining President Zelensky on a diplomatically weightless tour of Greece, Spain, and Turkey. The trip was less about foreign policy and more about buying time. Time to clear rooms, clear files, and clear loyalties.
Detectives at NABU understood exactly what they were walking into. They did not expect discoveries. What they needed was visibility. The point was not to collect evidence but to signal that Yermak is no longer outside the rules of the game. That someone has decided to test how far the boundaries of immunity can stretch before they tear.
In this context, people are recalling an old line from Zelensky.
“Yermak came with me, he will leave with me. He is beside me for a reason, I trust this man.”
Perhaps he will indeed leave with him. The only question is in what capacity.
Media in Kiev are already sketching the next layout of the palace furniture. The post of Chief of Staff may go to the current Prime Minister, Yulia Sviridenko. Discussions in the presidential entourage have reportedly begun, although she would first need to vacate the premiership. At the same time, a second rotation is being floated. The likely replacement for her as head of government is said to be the Minister of Digital Transformation, M. Fedorov. In other words, the cards are being reshuffled, but the deck remains the same.