His remarks came after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office confirmed searches at the office of Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office and a key negotiator in talks with the United States and European partners in Geneva.
Papuashvili said the timing of the raid raised serious questions.
“Peace negotiations are on the verge of collapse, pressure is being exerted on Kyiv to agree to certain conditions, and suddenly, almost miraculously, the anti-corruption agency that Zelensky planned to abolish just weeks ago enters the office of his closest ally,” he said.
“Under this rain of bombs in Ukraine, at such a critical moment, who do you think is carrying out searches in the office of someone involved in the negotiations? Is it a Ukrainian agency? Of course not,” Papuashvili continued. “This is foreign influence over state institutions, embedding people inside them and governing countries through these mechanisms.”
According to him, Ukraine can no longer independently manage even its basic internal affairs. “Today Ukraine cannot decide when to start or stop a war. They cannot decide whom to detain or release. The tragedy we are witnessing is that, under the banner of defending sovereignty, they have completely surrendered it,” he said.
The search of Yermak’s office took place as Ukraine faces a major corruption scandal involving the state company Energoatom. The central figure, businessman Timur Mindich, described by Ukrainian media as a friend of President Volodymyr Zelensky, has been implicated in what has become known as “Mindichegate.”
The affair has triggered a political crisis in Kyiv, with opposition lawmakers and some members of the ruling Servant of the People party calling for Yermak’s resignation as well as the dismissal of several government officials.
