Zelenskyy's former top aide who vowed to join military reinstates right to practise law

Andrii Yermak, former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has reinstated his right to practise law.

Source: data from the Ukrainian National Bar Association

Quote: "The right to practise law has been reinstated, in accordance with Article 31.4.1 of the Law of Ukraine On the Bar and Legal Practice, effective 23 January 2026, based on the lawyer's application."

Details: Yermak's profile on the association's website shows that his right to practise law was suspended from 20 February 2020 at his own request. He led the President's Office from 11 February 2020 until his dismissal on 28 November 2025.

Yermak received his licence to practise law in December 1995.

Background:

• On 29 November 2025, Yermak announced that he was going to the front after resigning from his post as head of the President's Office amid a corruption scandal and a search by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his residence.
• On 15 January 2026, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence told Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a Ukrainian MP, that Yermak had not applied to any enlistment office to sign up for military service.

Previously:

• On 28 November, Ukrainska Pravda reported that officers from NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) were conducting searches at Yermak's office in the government district. Ukrainska Pravda journalists managed to record around 10 employees from NABU and SAPO entering the government district.
• Yermak confirmed that the search was taking place at his home and said he was ready to assist the investigation.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later announced that he had accepted Yermak's resignation as head of the President's Office and that the institution would now undergo a reboot.
• On 2 January, Zelenskyy appointed Kyrylo Budanov, then chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), as head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

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