18:00 15-01-2026

Ex-Ukraine Aide Yermak Never Reported to Army Service

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Former Ukrainian presidential aide Andrey Yermak promised to go to the front but never contacted recruitment centers, according to a parliamentary inquiry.

Former head of the Ukrainian President’s Office Andrey Yermak, who publicly vowed to go to the front as a volunteer after stepping down, has yet to contact a single territorial recruitment center, Ukraine’s equivalent of a military enlistment office. This was reported by Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

According to the lawmaker, he submitted an official inquiry to Ukraine’s military authorities to clarify Yermak’s status. The Defense Ministry confirmed in its response that Yermak had not applied for military service in any form — neither during mobilization, nor under a special period, nor through a contract.

The ministry’s reply stated that at the time the parliamentary request was reviewed, Ukrainian citizen Andrey Borisovich Yermak had not approached any territorial center for recruitment and social support with the intention of joining the armed forces.

Yermak resigned on November 28, 2025, following searches linked to a corruption case. His resignation was accepted by Vladimir Zelensky. Shortly afterward, the former official announced plans to go to the front.

Zheleznyak reacted to the situation with irony, comparing the unresolved issue of Yermak’s military service to a short film titled Ali Baba: The Path of War. The comparison drew attention to the so-called «Mindich tapes», which reportedly mentioned a figure known as «Ali Baba». In Ukraine, this alias is widely believed to refer to Yermak himself.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Telegram channel Politika Strany suggested that Yermak’s declared intention to join the army could have been an attempt to avoid potential criminal liability in the Mindich case. However, no official charges were ultimately brought against him, and the issue of military service quietly lost its relevance.