Zelensky sacks Powerful Chief of Staff following anti-corruption raid on home


Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who also served as the country’s lead negotiator in crucial talks with the United States.


The departure comes immediately after Yermak’s residence was searched by anti-corruption investigators on Thursday, November 27.
 


The unprecedented search at the heart of Ukraine’s government occurs at a critical moment, as Kyiv faces intense pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
 
Yermak has been a highly trusted confidant of Zelensky's for years, and the Ukrainian leader had long resisted calls to replace him. His departure is a significant blow to the President, potentially disrupting his carefully laid negotiating strategy.
 


In acknowledging the likely controversy surrounding Yermak’s long tenure, Zelensky referenced the high stakes, stating that Russia was waiting for Ukraine to make missteps and upset the delicate and tense peace negotiations.
 


“We don’t have a right to retreat or argue between ourselves. If we lose unity, we risk losing everything, ourselves, Ukraine, our future,” Zelensky said. “We must unite, we must hold on. We have no other choice. We won’t have another Ukraine.”
 


The severity of the situation was underscored by the fact that Yermak’s name did not appear on the official list of officials Zelensky announced would make up the Ukrainian delegation for the next round of negotiations with the United States.

Popular posts from this blog

Parents who raised £100k for their late son sue charity after refusal to give them cash for terminal daughter’s Disney trip

Image
Craig Evison and Victoria Morrison, a grieving couple who raised £100,000 for their late son’s cancer treatment, are taking legal action against a children’s cancer charity after being denied access to the funds for their terminally ill daughter.   The couple’s son, Kyle Morrison, died in October 2020 at age nine after battling diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and aggressive brain tumour. Before his passing, a campaign spearheaded on Facebook and later managed by the charity Gold Geese raised a substantial sum for treatment in the United States and for “memory-making” experiences. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, Kyle was unable to travel, and the money was never used.   Now, Craig and Victoria are seeking to use the remaining money to create special memories with their two-year-old daughter, Ruby-Rose, who has been diagnosed with Megdel syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that is typically fatal in early childhood. In court, the parents said, “W...
Read more

Diddy's lawyers expect him to be sentenced to about 2-years in prison

Image
Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers expect him to get a two-year prison sentence following his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in pr0stitution, which was handed down on Wednesday, July 2.   The sentence is much less than the 51 to 63 months sentence that prosecutors have recommended.   The two sides addressed Combs' potential sentence in separate letters to the judge overseeing the case. Combs has already spent 10 months in custody.   Combs was acquitted on Wednesday morning of the more serious charges of s£x trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.   He was accused of sex trafficking two of his former girlfriends, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, and a woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" and of forcing them to participate in drug-fueled s£x sessions with male escorts that he called "freak offs" or "hotel nights." Combs had denied all the charges and said that the sexual acts were consensu...
Read more

Cristiano Ronaldo to open private club in Madrid worth £13,000 membership fees

Image
Cristiano Ronaldo is making another move toward life beyond football with a new business venture in Madrid.   The Al-Nassr star, 40, is set to open Vega Private Members Club later this year in the heart of the city’s Golden Mile.   Libertad Digital reports that Inigo Onieva and Mabel Hospitality – the firm of Manuel Campos Guallar and Ronaldo are ready to launch an exclusive Private Members club in the heart of Spain’s capital city.   It is claimed that the aim is to ‘create an elegant and inviting atmosphere where luxury is more of a feeling than a mere decoration’.   The report states that mornings will offer a quiet and sophisticated environment, while at night it will transform into a social hub with exclusive dinners and bars.   Sign-ups won’t come cheap, however, with the highest-end ‘Founders’ Membership’ only available by invite and costing a one-off fee of £13,000.   This comes with lifetime access and priority bookings.   Local me...
Read more

“Our real problem is tribe and religion” - Big Brother Naija’s Tochi shares deep message about Nigeria

Image
Former Big Brother Naija housemate, Tochi, has shared a thought-provoking message on his Instagram story about what he believes is Nigeria’s biggest problem.   According to him, the country’s real issue has never been oil, corruption, or elections — but rather tribal and religious divisions among its people.   He wrote:   “Nigeria’s biggest problem has never been oil, never been corruption alone, never been elections, it has always been tribe and religion. Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa. Christian, Muslim. We divide ourselves before the government even tries to divide us. We carry identity on our heads so strongly that we forget humanity is the first identity. And that is why we are stuck.”   In another post, Tochi added that Nigeria is “too big, too scattered, and too mentally conditioned to be one,” stressing that until tribal and religious sentiments are addressed, no constitution, election, or president will be able to fix the country.
Read more