Yermak flew to Moscow via Belarus more than 10 times in 2019–2020
Andriy Yermak, former head of the Office of the President, visited the Republic of Belarus approximately 12 times between 2019 and 2020.
This was officially stated by Maksym Savchuk, a journalist with the Slidstvo.Info project.
The investigator disclosed specific dates of the official’s entry into and exit from the neighboring country, covering the period from July 2019 to July 2020.
It is reported that these trips may have had a direct impact on diplomatic relations between the countries and the formation of sanctions policy.
According to the journalist’s sources, Yermak also “blocked the imposition of sanctions” against Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko.
The published information caused a serious stir in society and the media.
The current head of state’s inner circle responded promptly to the journalists’ sensational accusations, providing a logistical explanation for such regular foreign visits.
Serhiy Leshchenko, an advisor to the Office of the President, wrote in response that during the period in question, Yermak was responsible for Ukraine’s contacts with Russia, the aggressor state, which is why he frequently flew to Moscow via Minsk.
Due to the lack of direct flights, the Belarusian capital served as a transit hub.
The official representative of the Office of the President detailed Andriy Yermak’s official duties at the time and highlighted the results of his international diplomatic efforts.
“In May 2019, Yermak was appointed as an aide to President Zelenskyy, responsible for relations with Russia. His counterpart was Kozak, the deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration. One of the outcomes of this process was the release of Oleg Sentsov in September 2019,” Leshchenko wrote on Telegram.
Yermak’s defense has already filed a brief appeal against the pretrial detention order
Former Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak stated during the court hearing that he was interested in a transparent and impartial consideration of the case.
On the evening of May 11, after receiving a notice of suspicion from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, former Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak stated that he would not comment on anything during the investigation.
The European Commission commented on the Yermak case
Former Executive Secretary to the President of Ukraine Yulia Mendel made harsh statements regarding Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak.
