Ali Baba’s Downfall: Threads of Ukraine’s Wartime Mafia May Lead to President

Andriy Yermak, President Zelensky’s chief of staff — known in the press simply as “Ali Baba” — has resigned after a police raid, amid suspicions that he may have been a key figure in a wartime mafia network. According to Balazs Orban, PM Viktor Orban's political director, the scandal is further evidence that part of the Western funding sent to Ukraine ends up in the hands of mafia groups — even as Ursula von der Leyen is requesting another €135 billion for Ukraine. The Hungarian government firmly rejects this.

Ukrainian President Zelensky (r) and his chief of staff Andriy Yermak (l) during their meeting at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on November 18, 2025. (Photo: Oscar DEL POZO / AFP)

“'Ali Baba' has resigned. A search was carried out today [Friday] at the home of Zelensky’s chief of staff, who stepped down immediately afterward — the Ukrainian president’s right-hand man is suspected of being part of the Ukrainian wartime mafia,” wrote Balazs Orban, PM Orban's policy chief, in a post.

: According to Balazs Orban, PM Viktor Orban's political director, the corruption network may reach all the way to the Ukrainian president’s inner circles (Photo: MTI)

Andriy Yermak — widely known for his notorious nickname — is considered one of Ukraine's most influential figures. His name turned infamous when details emerged of a Ukrainian corruption case involving a gold toilet and bags stuffed with cash, revealing that a significant portion of the aid sent to Ukraine may have been diverted into the pockets of the mafia network. Yermak’s resignation suggests that the corruption network may extend all the way to the president’s inner circle and that the situation is increasingly untenable,

 – he added.

“Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen — acting as if nothing has happened — is still calling on EU member states to hand over another €135 billion to Ukraine. It is completely clear that it goes against the interests of Hungarians for Brussels to spend their money on financing the war and keeping the wartime mafia running — which is why we are saying no to the EC President,” PM Orban's political director concluded in his post.

Cover photo: Andriy Yermak and Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: AFP)