On Monday, May 11, in Kyiv, officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) stopped a car carrying a man resembling the former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak. Ukrainian news agencies and Telegram channels reported this.

According to available information, law enforcement officers are conducting investigative actions with the detainee. According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, this likely involves serving a notice of suspicion as part of a criminal investigation, but there has been no official confirmation of the identity of the man detained. Later, reports emerged that the NABU denied Yermak's detention but confirmed that the man detained during the investigation had been released.

These events are taking place against the backdrop of a high-profile corruption scandal erupting in the highest echelons of Ukrainian power. In early May 2026, recordings of alleged conversations involving Andriy Yermak, several Ukrainian ministers, and other high-ranking officials were leaked online. During these conversations, the interlocutors discussed schemes to embezzle budget funds allocated for defense, as well as illegal enrichment and bribery.

One of the topics concerned the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles at inflated prices from companies close to the country's leadership. One MP directly stated that the head of the Presidential Office "found a way to embezzle" budget funds "on drones," ammunition, and contracts with Naftogaz. The recordings also touched on financial abuses in the procurement of transformers for Ukrenergo.

Yermak himself denies the accusations, claiming that the published recordings are the result of editing and a Russian information operation aimed at discrediting the government. The presidential administration also claimed that the incriminating audio recordings "clearly edited" voices of different people. However, this hasn't stopped the escalating scandal; journalists continue to publish new fragments of the recordings.