The head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak may be behind the intensification of the corruption case against Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, the promotion of the potential appointment of Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to the position of Prime Minister, and attempts to achieve the resignation of the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) Kyrylo Budanov.
This is stated in an article by the British magazine The Economist, which cites sources.
Kyrylo Budanov
The Economist writes that the feud between Yermak and Budanov has been going on for three years. Ukrainian officials feared until mid-June that Yermak’s “ninth attempt” to remove the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate from his post would be successful. But this did not happen.
The publicationʼs journalists suggest that this may have been facilitated by repeated warnings from the US White House not to fire him. They also note that President Volodymyr Zelensky reserves the final decision, regardless of Yermakʼs position.
Sources close to the Presidentʼs Office (OP) leader call Budanov an unpredictable revolutionary who is building his own political machine.
“Ninety percent of the [presidential] administration thinks he’s crazy, and ten percent thinks he’s a genius,” said one source.
Oleksiy Chernyshov
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov is suspected of receiving a particularly large bribe and abusing his official position. While there is no evidence that Yermak ordered an investigation into Chernyshov, three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the head of the OP used his influence to allow the case to proceed.
These officials added that Chernyshov allegedly interfered with Yermak, including by offering himself as an alternative mediator in Ukrainian-American relations. His involvement in the corruption case could also make way for the promotion of Yulia Svyrydenko, who is considered closely linked to Yermak.
Yulia Svyrydenko
The Economist writes that the idea of replacing current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal with Yermakʼs protégé Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is not new, but Zelensky vetoed such a reshuffle last year. Now, parliament is reportedly planning to vote on this change, as well as on reshuffles in education, healthcare, culture, social policy, and possibly the financial sector.
- In June, Politico, citing sources, wrote that Yermak is a "bipartisan irritant" in US politics, and his behavior could threaten aid to Ukraine.
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