Yermak denies quarrel with Zelensky, contacts with fortune-tellers, pledges to go to front

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. Andrey Yermak, the former head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, has denied that he had promised to go to the frontlines after his resignation, and also denied having consulted fortune-tellers or having had a falling-out with Zelensky. In an interview with Novosti Live, Yermak said that when he was dismissed, his conversation with Zelenskyy was not as emotional as the press had reported. "We had an absolutely normal conversation when I handed in my resignation and so on," he said, adding however that overall, it "wasn't easy" for him. When asked why he did not go to the army as he had promised to do immediately after the resignation, he said, "The matter is that I have never made any comments. It was my private correspondence with a New York Post journalist." According to the media outlet, Yermak also denied having communicated with fortune-tellers or having any ties to the occult. However, during the court hearing, the prosecutor read excerpts from correspondence in which Yermak had sent the names of his political opponents to a fortune-teller and had sought advice on personnel decisions. Following this, Ukrainian media tracked down a fortune-teller named Veronika. She turned out to be a 51-year-old resident of Kiev who runs an astrology Telegram channel in Russian. Back in January, Zelensky’s former press secretary, Yulia Mendel, said that Yermak engaged in magical rituals and brought magicians from abroad to Ukraine. Yermak headed Zelensky’s office from February 2020. On November 17, 2025, reports surfaced indicating that Yermak might have been involved in large-scale corruption schemes related to the case of Timur Mindich, a businessman and Zelensky’s friend. Subsequently, Yermak's residence was searched on November 28, and by evening, Zelensky dismissed him from his position. Several hours after his resignation, Yermak said in a letter for the New York Post that he was going to go to the army but never did this. On May 11, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) charged Yermak with laundering money as part of an organized group or on a very large scale. The court is to hold a hearing on pretrial restrictions for Yermak on Thursday.