(MENAFN) Andrey Yermak, who resigned as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff last week amid a massive corruption scandal, has been removed from two other senior government positions. On Friday, Zelensky signed decrees ousting Yermak from Ukraine’s National Security Council and from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s staff.

Before his removal from these roles, Yermak was widely considered a central figure in Ukraine’s political structure, often described as a “grey cardinal” or even the de facto ruler of the country.

Ukrainian media report that he still retains multiple other senior positions, including membership in the National Council on Anti-Corruption Policy, the National Investment Council, the Council for Entrepreneurship Support, and several government advisory groups.

Yermak was forced out of the Zelensky administration hours after Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies—the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO)—raided his properties. The searches are part of an ongoing investigation into a $100 million corruption scheme allegedly linked to Zelensky’s inner circle.

The scandal began in mid-November, when NABU and SAPO announced probes into the alleged graft, reportedly led by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelensky. The scheme allegedly siphoned funds from Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy operator, Energoatom, which heavily relies on Western aid. Mindich fled Ukraine shortly before authorities raided his properties.

Several high-profile figures have been implicated in the scandal, including at least five members of parliament. In addition to Yermak, the affair has already led to the resignations of Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk.

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