Andriy Yermak: More than Zelenskyi’s right hand?

The dismissals of high-ranking government officials have given a man a boost in Ukraine: Andriy Yermak, President Zelenskyy’s right-hand man. Who is Yermak and why is he the target of criticism from anti-corruption activists in particular?

Collaboration with the enemy – and en masse in the authorities: Because this allegation is in the room, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj dismissed the Attorney General and the head of the secret service. But there are voices that doubt this official justification. It is a bogus argument. In fact, it’s about power.

Because one person should benefit from the layoffs: Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office. Parts of civil society in particular are critical of Yermak’s role. Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Center for Combating Corruption, says Yermak “not only has a lot of power in his hands,” he has also restricted access to the president: “Everyone who started his political path with Zelenskyy is no longer there.”

There have been many personnel changes since Zelenskyj took office in 2019. The lawyer and former film producer Yermak took over the presidency about two years ago. Today, the 50-year-old with the three-day beard is Selenskyj’s most important confidant.

Secret vice president?

Yermak first made a name for himself in negotiations over prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia. Because of his good contacts in Russia, he was regarded as a beacon of hope in peace negotiations with Moscow. It didn’t take long for Ukrainian media to start calling Yermak a secret vice-president.

Political scientist Oleksiy Haran explains that Yermak is a longtime colleague and friend of Zelenskyi. “He was his attorney and they worked together for many years before the presidential election.” And that’s why Yermak is “quite influential”.

criticism of the environment

Another name almost always comes up when criticizing Yermak: Oleh Tatarov, Yermak’s deputy and a high-ranking police officer under the pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych.

Tatarov and Yermak – in the eyes of many anti-corruption activists, they are partly responsible for the fact that the fight against corruption is progressing so slowly, explains Vitaly Shabunin. His accusation:

According to critics, this would paralyze both authorities.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau investigated Tatarov two years ago, but the case was withdrawn from the agency and not pursued further. The man who is now in charge of the secret service was responsible for this at the time.

The criticized recognizes conspiracy theories

The activists now fear that Yermak and Tatarov will further expand their influence in Ukrainian politics. But Yermak disagrees. He does not emerge stronger from the change in personnel. The allegations are conspiracy theories.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak also denied that such things “can only be said by people who do not fully understand the system of government in Ukraine and do not know Mr. Zelenskyj or Mr. Yermak at all.”

The attacks against Yermak served only one purpose: to harm the presidential team, Podolyak tells the ARD. And, according to his accusation, the attacks originated in Russia.

“Artistic ideas”?

In fact, Yermak has found himself at the center of a scandal in the past. According to research by journalists, Yermak is said to have leaked information about a secret service operation to arrest Russian mercenaries in advance – the operation failed.

Yermak denies the allegations:

Who makes the decisions?

Many allegations against Yermak cannot be proven at the current time. Nevertheless, he is considered extremely influential by Ukrainian experts.

For the first time in Ukraine’s history, it’s not clear who is making the most important decisions – the president or the head of the presidential office, Shabunin criticizes: “For the first time in the country’s history, so much influence is in the hands of a single person, and that’s not the president.”

trust in the constitution

But is he pulling the strings in the background? Presidential adviser Podolyak disagrees. As head of the presidential office, Yermak only carries out the tasks that Zelenskyy gives him, and he does so in a professional manner.

Critics, on the other hand, fear a monopolization of power. But the Ukrainian constitution prevents that, says political scientist Haran. Admittedly, he is critical of what Yermak is doing. But Ukrainian society is pluralistic – and the constitution “is structured in such a way that it prevents the monopolization of power in the hands of the president”.