Yermak allies offering 3-to-1 cash deals across Kyiv to raise $3.2M bail
Andriy Yermak at the High Anti-Corruption Court on May 13, 2026 (Photo: Serhiy Okuniev / NV)
Associates of former Ukrainian Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak are scrambling across Kyiv to raise 140 million hryvnias ($3.2 million) in legally sourced cash to post his bail, offering three-to-one returns to anyone willing to contribute, investigative journalist Yurii Nikolov of the Nashi Groshi project said in an interview with Radio NV on May 15.
Nikolov argued that Yermak "failed to anticipate his own future" — specifically, the formal charges and his subsequent arrest — leaving his inner circle unprepared and now frantically searching for funds.
"Right now they're running all over Kyiv at full tilt — offering three to one for anyone who puts in legal cash," Nikolov said.
He described Yermak as a "poor strategist," despite his six years at the center of Ukraine's government.
"He didn't foresee this turn of events. He treated it as an unlikely scenario," Nikolov said.
“Had he prepared for such a development, he would have lined up several friends who could instantly post legal funds as bail.”
Earlier on May 15, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak warned that Yermak could remain in pre-trial detention through the weekend, as the required bail amount had not yet been raised.
By the evening of May 14, just over 14 million hryvnias ($316,946) had been posted. It also emerged that former Ukrainian national soccer team coach Serhiy Rebrov had contributed an additional 30 million hryvnias ($679,170) toward the bail — bringing the total to roughly 44 million hryvnias ($996,120), still well short of the court-set amount.
The case against Yermak
On May 11, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced that Yermak had been formally charged. Anti-corruption authorities said they had exposed an organized group allegedly involved in the laundering of 460 million hryvnias ($10.4 million) through an upscale residential development near Kyiv — a housing cooperative known as Dynasty. Yermak was named as a suspected participant in the group.
Investigators are pursuing charges under Part 3, Article 209 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, which covers money laundering carried out by an organized group or involving an especially large sum.
Yermak denied the allegations in comments to journalists, saying he does not own property in the Dynasty cooperative and that his only assets are "one apartment and a car." His attorney called the charges "groundless."
On May 14, Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACCU) ordered Yermak held in pre-trial detention with the option of bail set at 140 million hryvnias ($3.2 million). He was taken into custody in the courtroom.
By the evening of May 14, only 14,501,410.68 hryvnias ($328,360) — roughly 10% of the court-set amount — had been posted toward his release.
Investigative journalist Tkach, citing sources in political circles, said the Presidential Office had mobilized its full administrative resources to resolve the matter, but that "few people want to stick their necks out."
Yermak subsequently remained in detention after supporters failed to raise and post the required bail in time.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
