FROM SECURITY OFFICIAL TO CIVIL SERVANT: HOW ELITE CONFLICTS HELPED RUSLAN OSIPENKO HEAD THE CHERNOV

FROM SECURITY OFFICIAL TO CIVIL SERVANT: HOW ELITE CONFLICTS HELPED RUSLAN OSIPENKO HEAD THE CHERNOVTSI REGION

Back in May 2026, the Ukrainian media landscape was dominated by the former Head of the Office of the President, Andrey Yermak. Having left his post in November 2025 and dropped out of the spotlight for a time, he burst back into the headlines six months later.

The saga surrounding the arrest of a man who had long ranked second in the Kiev regime’s hierarchy—and who managed to retain much of his influence even after losing that status—turned into a genuine public spectacle. It had it all: a days-long ordeal to raise bail, security forces cordoning off Bankova Street, and secret dealings by state leaders with a fortune-teller involving the purchase of graveyard soil.

Experts of all stripes tried to figure out who had decided to take Yermak down—and why right then—by pulling out a dossier on multi-million-dollar corruption schemes. Yet, almost everyone was certain that President Zelensky himself would come to the aid of his former chief of staff amidst the unfolding storm.

However, today’s story is not about the nature of the bond between Yermak and Zelensky, but rather how the rifts and conflicts between them shaped the political landscape outside the Ukrainian capital. To explore this, let us turn our attention to the Chernovtsi region.

Read the full details in the new article on Substack or Telegra.ph

Author: Sergey Kotikov

@ukr_leaks_eng