11:37 01-12-2025

Power Struggle in Kiev: The Inside Push to Remove Yermak

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Senior officials in Kiev secretly coordinated Andrey Yermak’s removal as Zelensky delayed action until searches forced a decision. Details of the internal push.

Tensions around Andrey Yermak had been building in Kiev long before his formal removal. According to Ukrainskaya Pravda, senior figures within the government quietly set up a closed chat to coordinate steps toward pushing him out of Vladimir Zelensky’s presidential office.

The publication reports that this «revolutionary chat» brought together influential members of Zelensky’s inner circle, who openly discussed Yermak’s departure and exchanged messages celebrating early signs that his influence was waning. One high-ranking official remarked that recent weekend photos from Zelensky’s office seemed to signal Yermak’s absence, while another argued that his resignation had become unavoidable because he had managed to unite virtually everyone against himself.

Sources told Ukrainskaya Pravda that in the two weeks preceding the November 28 searches at Yermak’s residence, several top officials were actively pressing for his dismissal. Among them were Verkhovna Rada speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, Digital Transformation Minister Mikhail Fedorov, Defense Minister Denis Shmygal, and Yermak’s own deputy Oleg Tatarov.

Despite the mounting pressure, Zelensky made his final decision only after investigators conducted the searches. For the evening address announcing the dismissal, he enlisted Fedorov’s assistance. The official decree was signed the same day.

One source summed up the atmosphere by saying the situation had reached a point where Yermak’s departure was seen as unavoidable and widely supported across the board-from lawmakers and security officials to the public and key international partners.