From film producer to one of the most influential politicians in the world. Interesting facts about Andrii Yermak, who turns 54 today

Andrii Yermak was born on November 21, 1971 in Kyiv. Today he is one of the most influential figures in Ukrainian politics, and his path to public service was not typical at all.

Ukrainian News Agency has collected a selection of the most interesting facts about the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Yermak is an international lawyer by education. In 1995, he graduated from the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, receiving a master's degree in private international law. Two years later, he founded his own law firm, which specialized in intellectual property and commercial law.

Interestingly, before politics, Yermak was known in a completely different field - cinema. He created the Garnet International Media Group company and acted as a producer of several international projects, in particular, he collaborated with Hollywood partners. It was this experience that shaped his understanding of public communication, which later became useful in political work.

In 2019, Yermak joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team as an assistant and quickly became one of the key negotiators on international issues. In February 2020, he headed the Office of the President of Ukraine. Since then, Andrii Yermak has become one of the most influential figures in the head of state's team, responsible for diplomatic negotiations, coordination of assistance from allies, and work with security partners.

One of the paradoxes of his biography is the combination of a career as a lawyer, producer, and public administrator. A person who started out as a media person became the architect of key international decisions that influenced the course of the war and Ukraine's position in the world.

In 2024, Andrii Yermak was included in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world according to TIME magazine - as a strategist and diplomat who plays a central role in leading the country during the war.

Today, Andrii Yermak remains one of the most prominent figures in Ukrainian government - and an example of how perseverance, education and versatile experience can lead to the top of a political career.

During the full-scale war, the relationship between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of the President's Office Andrii Yermak became extremely close - they live together in the presidential complex, spend almost all their time together and, according to the Financial Times, their relationship has long gone beyond purely working.

The publication's sources claim that Yermak is Zelenskyy's closest associate, and even during active hostilities they spent the night next to each other in the bunker of an administrative building. After work, as the FT notes, Zelenskyy and Yermak sometimes relax by playing table tennis or watching classic films. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to the employees of the President's Office, both kept assault rifles at the ready - "to either break through or ensure a dignified end, and not be captured."

Recall, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak expressed support for a possible second presidential term of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In an interview with The Times, he called Zelenskyy "a very strong person" and "a democrat", emphasizing that he had not lost energy even after three years of full-scale war.