The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Ermak, who had long been considered one of the most influential figures in the Ukrainian government, submitted a resignation request to the president on Friday, marking one of the most dramatic reshuffles in Kyiv's political landscape in recent months, writes nra.lv, citing "Ukrainska Pravda."
Sources from the publication report that Ermak did not want to leave his position and emotionally reproached Zelensky for half an hour. According to sources, the conversation was filled with insults and accusations directed at the president.
On the same day, information emerged that employees of the anti-corruption service and the intelligence of Ukraine conducted searches at Ermak's office and home. This investigation further escalated tensions in the presidential office.
Zelensky, for his part, tried to find a solution that would avoid the impression of chaos and would not weaken diplomatic processes with international partners; however, the president insisted that the interests of the state are more important than any individual.
Ultimately, Zelensky's team decided that Ermak should be removed from the position of head of the administration to control the scandal and demonstrate that the rules are the same for everyone.
According to sources from the newspaper, Ermak systematically tried to appoint as many loyal people as possible to various state institutions, but at a critical moment, none of them publicly supported him.
Sources claim that Ermak's own behavior only simplified Zelensky's decision — when he was asked to submit his resignation, he spent about half an hour expressing insults, accusations, and reproaches to the president.
"Ermak did not believe until the last moment that the First (Zelensky) would remove him. And then, like this — presented with a fait accompli. They say what upset him the most was that the president left him," explains the drama of the situation a person from Ermak's close circle.
For Zelensky, this was not the first time he had to part ways with members of his inner circle, but for Ermak, the president's decision was a real shock.
"Now he is energetic again. Like the president of February 24, 2022. And all of us together with him. There were very good meetings on Saturday. Really insane motivation and attitude," emphasized one of the members of Volodymyr Zelensky's team.
Now Zelensky must choose a new head of the administration. Among the possible candidates are Minister of Transport Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal, head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, and Deputy Head of the Bureau for Military Affairs Pavlo Palisa. It is also possible that the presidential office may be headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia.
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