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Zelensky's ex-chief of staff Yermak, is meeting top officials and keeps his influence

Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former chief of staff, has met with several senior officials since his resignation in November, potentially indicating that he still retains political influence despite holding no official post, Ukrainska Pravda reported on February 6. Some of the meetings may be linked to a major corruption investigation involving the state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom, the largest such case during Zelensky’s presidency.

According to the outlet, Yermak has recently been seen meeting with Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, presidential adviser Oleksandr Kamyshyn, and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. Journalists also documented travel by Yermak’s lawyer Ihor Fomin to Israel, where he reportedly met individuals connected to Timur Mindich, the alleged ringleader of the Energoatom corruption scheme, who fled Ukraine in November. Sources claimed Fomin attempted to persuade Mindich not to testify against Yermak in exchange for protection, though those involved declined to comment.

Yermak resigned on November 28 following searches conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and is currently under investigation but has not been formally charged. Ukrainian media previously reported that he remains in regular contact with Zelensky and continues to exert political influence, despite publicly stating after his resignation that he planned to join the army — a move the Defense Ministry later said he had not carried out.

Russia is preparing Ukrainian children to fight

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have served notices of suspicion to eight leaders of the Yunarmiya movement ( army of youth) operating in the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, accusing them of systematically involving Ukrainian children in military training for Russia. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the group drew around 6,000 minors aged between six and 18 into its programmes under the guise of patriotic education, effectively turning youth activities into preparation for military service in the interests of the occupying power.

Founded in Russia in 2016, the All-Russian Military Patriotic Social Movement “Young Army,” known as Yunarmiya, later expanded its operations into the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea, as well as Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. Between 2019 and 2025, participants in the movement reportedly taught children how to handle weapons, conduct tactical exercises,s and take part in military drills, while also requiring them to swear oaths of allegiance to Russia. Law enforcement officials say propaganda campaigns, pseudo-patriotic events, and promises of social benefits and future careers in the Russian armed forces were used to deliberately draw minors into the military system of the aggressor state.

Prosecutors state that some of the children who completed this training later joined Russian forces after turning 18, indicating that the movement was used to build a long-term mobilisation

Russian forces attacked Kherson's heat and power plant for the fourth time this month

Russian forces have attacked the Kherson combined heat and power plant four times since the beginning of February, according to Serhii Koretskyi, CEO of Naftogaz Group, Ukraine’s largest national oil and gas company. The latest strike occurred during the day, when Russian artillery targeted the facility’s territory, causing multiple impacts.

Koretskyi reported that at least five hits were recorded during the latest attack, marking the fourth strike on the plant this month. He said the shelling posed a serious threat to the facility’s operations and to the stability of heat supply for residents in Kherson.

According to Koretskyi, Naftogaz is coordinating closely with local authorities and emergency services and is working through all available options to ensure an uninterrupted heat supply, despite the ongoing attacks and damage to infrastructure.