Ukraine names former Zelensky chief of staff Yermak a suspect in money-laundering probe
Ukrainian anti-graft agencies named Andriy Yermak, who served as President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff until his resignation last year, a suspect in a money-laundering case tied to a luxury housing project, a continuation of last year's Operation Midas that has now flagged six additional suspects. Investigators stressed Zelensky himself is not, and has never been, a subject of the case. The suspicion notice landed as a weekend ceasefire collapsed under more than 200 Russian drones overnight on Kyiv and Dnipro and as Kyiv signed a memorandum with Washington on drone technology exchange and joint production.
Andriy Yermak, widely regarded as one of Ukraine's political kingpins before he resigned last year, was named a suspect in a money-laundering investigation linked to a luxury housing project, anti-corruption agencies said. The probe is a continuation of last year's Operation Midas, with six more suspects named alongside Yermak; the agencies emphasised that Zelensky has not been, and is not, a subject of the case.
The corruption notice landed the same day Zelensky's former spokesperson appeared on Tucker Carlson's US programme and turned on Zelensky, accusing him of corruption and claiming Kyiv had agreed to give up the Donbas in 2022.
On the front line, the weekend ceasefire collapsed. More than 200 Russian drones hit Ukraine overnight, with explosions reported in Kyiv and Dnipro. Analyst Paul Goble, quoted by the Kyiv Post, called the Kremlin's recent end-of-war signalling a delay tactic, noting Moscow now says there are no specifics on how Vladimir Putin proposes to end the war despite his earlier statements.
Talks have not been abandoned. Kyiv discussed ramped-up arms support with NATO and is working with European partners on what officials are calling an airport ceasefire — a narrower framework aimed at reducing fighting through tangible arrangements. The prisoner-swap component of the weekend proposal has not happened: Ukraine's top diplomat accused Moscow of trying to trade abducted Ukrainian children, saying they should be returned through proper channels, while Zelensky said the coalition working to secure their return now spans nearly 50 nations.
New research cited by the Kyiv Post found Russia's April oil revenue rose despite Ukrainian strikes on refineries, with China and India among the top buyers and Europe not far behind.
In Helsinki, the Finnish president said Europe should engage with Moscow not out of preference but because US policies no longer align with European interests. The comment came as European capitals race to build long-range weapons, having concluded Washington may no longer be a reliable long-term security guarantor after scrapping parts of its planned deployments.
Kyiv said it shot down roughly 90 percent of incoming Russian drones overnight, and similar interception rates have been reported against Iranian-made drones in the Middle East. Washington moved to tap Ukrainian expertise, signing a memorandum with Kyiv on drone technology exchange and joint production.
On the Iran front, the United Arab Emirates reportedly struck Iran in retaliatory attacks. US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran's latest proposal, and his administration imposed sanctions on firms accused of helping route Iranian oil to China.