Ukraine court sets strict bail terms for former presidential office head

The former head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Andriy Yermak, would be required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and remain within Kyiv if released on bail, Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have said.

According to a statement from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine, a judge at the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine on May 14, 2026, ordered Yermak’s detention for 60 days, with the option of release on bail set at ₴140 million ($3.18 million).

If bail is posted, the court said a series of conditions would apply. These include mandatory appearances before detectives, prosecutors and the court; a prohibition on leaving Kyiv without permission from investigators or judges; and an obligation to report any changes of residence or employment.

He would also be barred from contacting other suspects and witnesses in the case, required to surrender all domestic and international travel documents — including diplomatic passports — to the State Migration Service of Ukraine and the Foreign Ministry, and placed under electronic surveillance.

The prosecutor’s office said Yermak was taken into custody directly in the courtroom following the ruling.

Earlier, during the hearing, Yermak said: “I do not have such money,” while adding that he has friends and acquaintances who could potentially assist him.

The defence team has five days to challenge the decision. Prosecutors initially sought his detention, with bail set at 180 million hryvnias (almost $4 million), a sum Yermak’s lawyer, Ihor Fomin, said was excessive and not properly justified.

“The only argument used to justify this bail amount is Yermak’s lifestyle, which allegedly indicates his wealth. What did the prosecutor mean? These six years that Yermak spent in a bunker? This lifestyle?” Fomin said, arguing that the former official had lived modestly throughout his six years in office.