Former press secretary of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy Yulia Mendel (2019-2021) called the former head of the President's Office Andrii Yermak "a very dangerous person" and said that "every day I thank God that I am alive."
"I understand that no one will believe this now, but I pray to God every day and thank God that I am alive. Because Andrii Borysovych is a very dangerous person. He is a very dangerous person. And those who know him will understand this," she said in an interview with Radio Liberty.
She added that Yermak has influence over law enforcement agencies and the ability to launch criminal proceedings "out of the blue."
Among other things, in the interview, Mendel said that Yermak provided Zelenskyy with information in a way that was beneficial to him and influenced the work of other bodies. According to her, the former head of the President's Office blocked the work of law enforcement officers, blocked purchases, stopped the implementation of specific instructions from the President, and also called officials (and Yulia Mendel personally) and forbade them to do what Zelenskyy asked.
In addition, the President's press secretary said that she knew from her sources in the President's Office that it was Yermak who convinced Zelenskyy that there would be no full-scale invasion.
Also in 2019 in the United States, according to Mendel, Yermak asked a political consultant "how to become the President of the country."
"So, Andrii Borysovych's ambitions are quite large, and they are, in principle, quite large," the President's press secretary said.
She also suggested that Yermak had not completely given up political influence on current politicians, as well as on law enforcement agencies.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on November 28, Andrii Yermak wrote a letter of resignation from the post of head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
According to media reports, Yermak, who during his work in the office accumulated enormous power, made many enemies and became the most prominent figure (although he has not yet been recognized as such) in "Mindichgate", was in a state of shock when he learned that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had decided to fire him.
It was also reported that Yermak had tried to achieve the resignation of the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, a few days before his dismissal.
In addition, Danylo Hetmantsev, a member of the Verkhovna Rada from the Servant of the People faction, chairman of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy, said in an interview with the Ukrainian News Agency that the resignation of Andrii Yermak is a somewhat delayed, but still correct decision by the President.
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