Poland Demands Explanation from Ukraine After Reports of Raid at Top Aide's Home
Poland has demanded an explanation from Kyiv following reports of a search at the home of Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, although the Polish defence minister said Europe’s strategy of supporting Ukraine would not change.
Warsaw expects transparency from Kyiv, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Tuesday, commenting on the reports of an anti-corruption raid.
«We expect explanations. Our strategy of supporting Ukraine remains unchanged because our security is at stake. However, European Union accession is impossible without transparency, for instance in anti-corruption policy,» he told reporters.
The Polish minister acknowledged that Ukraine was facing a difficult time on the frontline and in negotiations, and that questions over potential corruption in the higher echelons of power were not helping the situation.
«This is not good news for Poland and for Western Europe, for whom the security border now lies on the Russian-Ukrainian front line,» he said.
Reports of the search at the home of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, conducted by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), were first carried by Ukrainian media and later confirmed by parties involved.
Yermak, a key Ukrainian politician often described as the «grey cardinal,» is currently involved in negotiations with U.S. officials on a potential peace deal. He confirmed the searches and stated his unconditional cooperation with the authorities.
According to NABU and SAPO, participants in a large-scale corruption scheme received bribes from contractors of the state nuclear operator Energoatom, amounting to 10-15% of the contract value. The illicit funds were allegedly laundered through a so-called back office in central Kyiv, through which an estimated $100 million is believed to have passed. The agencies have not publicly linked Yermak to the scheme or disclosed the reasons for the raids.