A portrait of Andriy Yermak The green cardinal - how corrupt is Zelensky's strongman?

Andrij Jermak became known on the international stage with the Russian invasion: Originally a lawyer and film producer, he rose to become Ukraine's secret vice president after 2019. But now Zelenskyi's strongman is in danger of stumbling over corruption.

Andrij Jermak has been everywhere since the war broke out.

For example, on the night of February 24-25, 2022, when the Ukrainian president filmed himself on the streets of Kiev to send a message. When Volodymyr Zelensky says: "Everyone is here. And it will stay that way", Jermak stands behind him.

Jermak is not the foreign minister, but when the bloody conflict in his country is discussed on the Bürgenstock, the 54-year-old travels to Switzerland and takes to the diplomatic stage.

On November 23, 2025, it will once again be Jermak who comes to Geneva to negotiate Donald Trump's "peace plan" with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This is despite growing criticism of Zelensky's confidant - a man who Time magazine ranked among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.

Is Yermak too powerful? Is Jermak corrupt? Who is Andrij Jermak?

Russian mother, Jewish Kiev father

Andrij Jermak's mother is Russian: Maria Alexandrovna comes to Kiev from St. Petersburg as a tourist and meets Borys Mykhailovlych from Kiev, who comes from a Jewish family, through mutual acquaintances: Jermak's relatives also lost their lives in the massacre of Babyn Yar in 1941, when more than 33,000 Jews were murdered.

The couple married in 1971, and Andrij was born on November 21. His brother Denis followed eight years later. After school, Andrij studied law in Kiev, joining a law firm in the meantime and graduating in 1995. In 1997, he went into business for himself as a lawyer, writes "Ukrajinska Pravda".

Through his profession, Andrij came into contact with politics in the 2000s, founded the Association of Entrepreneurs of the City of Kiev and became chairman of the Association of Small Entrepreneurs in 2011. It was also the year in which he met a producer from the Ukrainian broadcaster "Inter" - a certain Volodymyr Selensky.

From producer to politician

Jermak founded the Garnet International Media Group in 2012 and became a producer of films such as "The Line". From 2016, he is also said to have collected film subsidies from the state, writes "Ukrajinska Pravda". It took until 2019 for Andriy Yermak to become fully involved in politics: This is when actor Volodymyr Zelenskyi begins his election campaign.

After his victory, Jermak initially became an advisor to the new president, but also quickly took on foreign policy missions. In September 2019, he surprised the public with the news that he had secretly negotiated with the Kremlin and secured the release of Ukrainian prisoners.

Yermak becomes Zelenskyi's chief negotiator with Moscow, represents Kiev at the Normandy format and holds talks with the Americans Kurt Volke and Rudy Giuliani, which lead to the Ukraine affair. But the politician is also active on the inside: according to "Ukrajinska Pravda", he installs friends in high offices of the Selenskyj party as "servants of the people".

The secret "Vice President of Ukraine"

The president is highly satisfied with his advisor: In February 2020, he made him head of the Presidential Office and a member of the National Security and Defense Council. For "Ukrajinska Pravda", Jermak is not just the "shadow minister for foreign affairs", but "essentially the vice president of Ukraine".

The Kiev native has had the advantage that he has always been able to choose the tasks he has taken on. As head of the presidential office, he coordinates tasks in Zelensky's name and at the same time controls who has access to the president.

At the outbreak of the war in February 2022, Yermak stands behind Zelenskyi, but his positive image is beginning to crack. "While doing the dirty work for Selenskyj, the green cardinal 's machinations have been tarnished by controversies involving allegations of corruption against his brother and deputy."

This is what "Politico" wrote about Jermak in 2023: The nickname " green cardinal " also stems from the many photos in olive green clothing that Jermak has taken.

"We have to negotiate with him, he's Selensky's man"

In 2024 , Time named him one of the 100 most influential people. "Andriy Yermak not only serves a determined leader, but has also proven himself to be one," it says in justification.

Jermak is the key to getting to the president - whether you like it or not. "We have to negotiate with him, he's Zelenskyi's man," a senior European official tells the Kyiv Independent. "We have no other choice." Jermak does not enjoy a good reputation among some US diplomats either.

This surprises both experts and the population: Jermak has started to fight those authorities that are supposed to put an end to corruption. And he did so at the very time when Ukraine was rocked by the biggest corruption case ever in the arms industry - and Timur Mindich, a confidant of Zelenskyi, is believed to be the mastermind behind it.

The inner circle is always a problem

Andriy Yermak must have known about this, believes the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center: "He is so influential and is familiar with so many issues in the country that it is impossible for such a large-scale corruption program to function without his in-depth knowledge and understanding," says Daria Kaleniuk.

Right into Zelensky's environmentBiggest corruption case since the beginning of the war shakes Ukraine - an overview

"The inner circle is always a problem for almost every Ukrainian president," emphasizes analyst Volodymyr Fesenko in the Kyiv Independent."For Zelenskyi, these are friends. People he knew and trusted. But life has punished him a few times, especially now with Mindich, and shown that excessive trust in friends can end badly."

"For the president to prove that he is not part of the plan and not corrupt, he has to get rid of all these corrupt inner circle friends. It's as simple as that," she adds. "Including Jermak." Mindich, who was warned and fled abroad before his arrest, is friends with Jermak, writes the Kyiv Independent.

Has Trump's "peace plan" saved Jermak for now?

Rumors of corruptibility have also been swirling around Jermak for years. Some of his friends have become rich. The president is grateful that Jermak has his back in day-to-day business. "Everything is controlled by the president's office," complains opposition politician Volodymyr Ariev. "The presidential office decides everything - not parliament or the cabinet."

Jermak has hardly any popular support: only 17.5 percent trust him, according to a survey conducted by the Razumkov Center in March. Many are also suspicious of his long arm in the security apparatus. Ukrajinska Pravda reports that Yermal is said to have instructed them to discredit the head of the anti-corruption department.

Selensky is said to have launched the first internal investigations against Yermak, but thanks to Trump's "peace plan", the chief negotiator is now urgently needed. He can shine on the international stage, but his domestic political future seems rather bleak.