Court testimony suggests former chief of staff Andrey Yermak sought advice from a feng shui practitioner when making ministerial appointments<\/p>\n
Former Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andrey Yermak, who was charged this week in a money laundering investigation, consulted a mystic while considering candidates for senior government posts, according to evidence presented by prosecutors.
\nYermak \u2013 a close associate of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky \u2013 stepped down last year amid mounting scrutiny over his alleged ties to businessman Timur Mindich, who fled to Israel shortly before being accused of masterminding a large-scale embezzlement scheme at a state-owned energy company.
\nDuring a court hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors revealed details of Yermak\u2019s reported interest in occult practices, claiming that it may have influenced staffing decisions at the highest levels of government.
\nAccording to investigators, one of his contacts appeared in messaging records under the name \u201cVeronika Fengshui Office.\u201d Prosecutors allege Yermak sent the birth dates of potential appointees \u2013 without naming them directly \u2013 to ask whether they were suitable for office.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Who is the \u2018mystery partner\u2019 in ex-Zelensky aide\u2019s alleged money laundering scheme?<\/p>\n
Feng shui is a traditional Chinese practice focused on arranging spaces and objects to promote harmony and the flow of qi, or life energy. While widely used as inspiration for interior design, it has also become associated in some circles with fortune telling, spiritism, and other mystical practices.
\nAccording to the prosecution, Yermak sought Veronika\u2019s opinion on candidates for the posts of prime minister, prosecutor general, health minister, and even his own deputy responsible for overseeing law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors cited the communications while arguing that Yermak should remain in pre-trial detention because of his alleged ability to influence witnesses and interfere with the investigation.
\nAdditional details emerged during continuation of the hearings on Wednesday, when the prosecutor identified the spiritual advisor by full name and quoted some of the text messages she and Yermak allegedly exchanged. Records indicate she urged him to cling to power at any cost, which he pledged to do.<\/p>\n
Maybe they should just get a peaceful \u201cfortune teller.\u201d Peace is the best magic. \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/VePuRjaAOF\u2014 Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) May 13, 2026 <\/p>\n
Reacting to the revelations, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev mocked the Ukrainian leadership on social media, saying the Zelensky administration \u201cshould just get a peaceful \u2018fortune teller,\u2019\u201d adding that \u201cpeace is the best magic.\u201d
\nClaims of occult practices in Zelensky\u2019s circle
\nAllegations of mystical beliefs within Ukraine\u2019s leadership were previously raised by former Zelensky press secretary Yulia Mendel, who has since emerged as a vocal critic of the administration.
\nIn January, Mendel claimed that Yermak had relied on occult rituals for years and allegedly invited practitioners from abroad to perform ceremonies involving so-called \u201ccorpse water.\u201d She suggested that other people close to Zelensky also shared an interest in mystical practices, though she did not identify them publicly.<\/p>\n
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The corruption case against Yermak centers on a luxury suburban real estate development that investigators say was financed with illicit funds. Part of the case referenced an alleged scheme involving the illegal extraction of sand from a cemetery site for use in construction.
\nOpposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak pointed to the accusations as evidence that senior officials connected to the project lacked ethical standards and should not be entrusted with governing the country. Zelensky is reportedly among the four co-owners of the upscale property development that Western-backed anti-corruption agencies are investigating.
\nFrom mystics to political scandal
\nClose relationships between political leaders and spiritual advisers have historically sparked controversy and, in some cases, major political crises.
\nIn Russia, the influence of mystic healer Grigory Rasputin over the royal family in the early 20th century became a symbol of imperial decline and contributed to the eventual toppling of the monarchy.
\nMore recently, the 2016 impeachment of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was linked to her relationship with longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. Choi, whose father was a controversial cult leader often dubbed the \u201cKorean Rasputin,\u201d was accused of exploiting her access to the presidency for personal gain.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: The presidential curse: South Korean leaders tend to get bad lots<\/p>\n
Although she denied wrongdoing, Choi Soon-sil was later sentenced to prison on corruption charges. The scandal reignited debate in South Korea over the influence of shamans, spiritual advisers, and fortune tellers in political life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Court testimony suggests former chief of staff Andrey Yermak sought advice from a feng shui practitioner when making ministerial appointments Former Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andrey Yermak, who was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t