Zelensky slaps personal sanctions on ex-chief of staff Andriy Bohdan

Prefer on Google by Abbey Fenbert Andriy Bohdan, then head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, speaks at a briefing in Kyiv on May 21, 2019. Bohdan was dismissed in February 2020. In May 2026, Zelensky imposed sanctions against Bohdan. (Pavlo Conchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Editor's note: This is a developing story. President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 2 signed a decree imposing sanctions on the former head of his Presidential Office, Andriy Bohdan. Bohdan served as head of Zelensky's administration from May 2019 to February 2020, when he was dismissed and immediately replaced by Andriy Yermak . The sanctions imposed by Zelensky temporarily block Bohdan's individual and corporate assets, restrict his ability to travel in Ukraine , restrict him from trade transactions and withdrawing capital outside the country, and terminate his licenses and permits, among other penalties. The sanctions decree also targeted four other individuals: Ukrainian businessman Bohdan Pukish, Russian businessman Alan Kiryukhin, Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, and Russian Wrestling Federation President Mikhail Mamiashvili. "Their actions threaten the national interests, security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine," the statement read . The president did not elaborate on the exact reasons behind the sanctions against Bohdan. The sanctions come amid renewed scrutiny of Zelensky's administration following the release on April 28 of leaked conversations between Timur Mindich — the alleged ringleader of a major corruption operation — and Rustem Umerov , former defense minister and current top security official. Transcripts of the conversations appear to show Mindich , a close associate of Zelensky, lobbying then-Defense Minister Umerov on behalf of the controversial weapons maker Fire Point. In the wake of the transcript's publication, the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Defense Ministry called for Umerov's suspension and the nationalization of Fire Point. Zelensky's office has not commented on the leaked conversations. Both Umerov and former Presidential Office Head Yermak are currently under investigation for corruption, but have not yet been charged. Bohdan, a lawyer, served as Zelensky's legal adviser during Ukraine's 2019 presidential election. He was then appointed head of the Presidential Office — a controversial decision, given Bohdan's previous role in the administration of former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who fled to Russia after the EuroMaidan Revolution. Bohdan's involvement in the Azarov government rendered him ineligible for the position under Ukraine's lustration laws, designed to remove from public office those officials who served under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. Zelensky nonetheless went forward with Bohdan's appointment. As head of the Presidential Office, he reportedly clashed with Yermak in a battle for influence over Zelensky. He was also the subject of investigations into his involvement in offshore credit scams. Bohdan previously worked as a lawyer to notorious Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky , founder of PrivatBank and formerly one of the nation's most powerful businessmen. Kolomoisky was charged with fraud and money laundering in 2023 and has been held in detention ever since.