The move comes as Zelensky announced the resignation of his chief of staff Andrii Yermak, whose residence was searched earlier in the day by anti-corruption investigators.
Mr Yermak has been Ukraine’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Russia and the US, and he has been a trusted confidante of Mr Zelensky for years.
The unprecedented searches at the heart of Ukraine’s government come at a time when Kyiv is under intense US pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after Russia invaded.
Russian forces have also been making slow but steady territorial gains in the east of Ukraine in recent months.
Zelensky had been set for a two-day visit to Ireland next month. The Government had been planning for Mr Zelensky to arrive in Dublin on December 2 and meet with senior officials as part of his travel itinerary, before he departs the following day on December 3.
Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine said their searches targeted Mr Yermak.
Andriy Yermak
Oleksii Tkachuk, a spokesman for Mr Yermak, said the anti-graft agencies had not served a notice of suspicion, meaning Mr Yermak was not a suspect in an investigation.
Mr Tkachuk added that Mr Yermak had not been told what the searches related to.
Mr Yermak, a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key participant in talks with the US, confirmed that officials searched his apartment in the presidential compound in central Kyiv, where checkpoints limit public access.
Media reports said Mr Yermak’s office was also searched, but investigators declined to comment on that.
“The investigators are facing no obstacles,” Mr Yermak wrote on Telegram. He added that he was co-operating fully with them and his lawyers were present.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are leading a major investigation into a 100 million dollar (£75 million) energy sector corruption scandal involving senior Ukrainian officials which has dominated domestic headlines in recent weeks.
It was not clear if the searches were connected to the case and a spokesperson for the NABU, Anton Tatarnikov, declined to comment, citing legal restrictions on revealing details on an ongoing probe.
A spokesman for the European Commission, Guillaume Mercier, told Ukrainian local news station Radio Svoboda on Friday that they were following developments closely and the searches showed that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies were working.
He added that fighting corruption was central to the country’s European Union accession.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Friday, November 28
Investigators suspect that Tymur Mindich, a one-time business partner of Mr Zelensky, was the plot’s mastermind. He has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him likely to be carried out in absentia. Two senior government ministers have resigned in the scandal.
Two of Mr Yermak’s former deputies – Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma – left the government last year after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, was investigated for bribes and other wrongdoing but still works for Mr Yermak.
The scandal has heaped more problems on Mr Zelensky as he seeks continued support from western countries for Ukraine’s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told him he must crack down on graft.
He faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own legislators earlier this month after investigators published details of their energy sector investigation.
Although Mr Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing, several senior legislators in Mr Zelensky’s party said Mr Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle to restore public trust.
Some said that if the president did not fire him, the party could split, threatening his parliamentary majority, but Mr Zelensky defied them.
He urged Ukrainians to unite and “stop the political games” in light of the US pressure to reach a settlement with Russia.
Mr Yermak met Mr Zelensky over 15 years ago when he was a lawyer venturing into the TV production business and Mr Zelensky was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor.
He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Mr Zelensky’s first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020.
Mr Yermak has accompanied Mr Zelensky on every trip abroad since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and the president’s trust in him has made Mr Yermak’s power appear almost untouchable.
Domestically, officials describe Mr Yermak as Mr Zelensky’s gatekeeper, and he is widely believed to have chosen all senior government appointees, including prime ministers and ministers.
Individuals connected to Mr Yermak and the president’s office have come under investigation before.
