The Ukrainian president's former chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who is a suspect in a major corruption scandal, consulted a fortune-teller when deciding on top government appointments, a Ukrainian prosecutor has said.
The claim surfaced during court hearings on May 12–13 in a corruption case led by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Investigators are probing the alleged laundering of 460 million hryvnias ($10.5 million) through luxury construction projects near Kyiv.
Yermak was served with a notice of suspicion on May 11 in connection with the money-laundering scheme -- a scandal that has dogged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since last year.
According to Valentyna Hrebenyuk, a prosecutor from SAPO, Yermak periodically consulted a contact known as "Veronika Feng Shui Office" on key government appointments.
"The individuals he confirmed were appointed to these positions," Hrebeniuk said, adding that Zelenskyy's former right-hand man sent the birthdays of candidates to the consultant prior to their appointments.
Hrebeniuk identified Veronika Feng Shui Office as Veronika Anikyevich, citing text messages allegedly sent by Anikyevich to a contact named "Andrei 2025" in which she was said to have urged Yermak to fight back against his political and media critics.
"If you don't stop them, they'll get [power]," Hrebenyuk said Anikyevich wrote. "The situation is such that it's either you or them."
In the court hearing, Yermak said he had not communicated with any "fortune-tellers" or "prophets." When asked whether he knew Anikyevich, he said, "I know a couple of Veronikas. I can't recall their surnames."
Who Is 'Veronika Feng Shui'?
Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, has identified Anikyevich as a 51-year-old resident of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, who presents herself as an astrology consultant and is registered as an entrepreneur providing "individual services."
In leaked data from job-search websites, Schemes also found a resume in her name that claims she has a degree in "financial analysis, control, and management."
Using publicly accessible data, Schemes found that Anikyevich's phone number was saved on other people's telephones as "Veronika Consultant A.B." and "Veronika Anikyevich/Yermak's fortune-teller," appearing to confirm her association with Yermak.
From her social media accounts, Anikyevich has been a vocal supporter of Yermak and runs a Telegram channel named Lunar Watch, where she promotes her astrology consultations. "Using my knowledge and experience in astrology, I help people find clarity in the context of their life processes," one of her posts said.
Reacting to the delivery of the notice of suspicion to Yermak, Anikyevich on May 12 called officials from NABU and SAPO "scum" and added that the development was a "special operation aimed at Ukraine's capitulation."
In separate comments Anikyevich left in a Telegram group chat following Yermak's resignation in late 2025, she said: "We're losing our country, not Yermak -- use your brains.... The question isn't where Yermak went. The question is where we, as a nation, are headed."
"I'm talking about how NABU and SAPO sold themselves out to the Russians and are helping push through a surrender, and you're bringing up Yermak," Anikyevich wrote on the same day.
The comment likely referred to 2025 investigations by the Security Service of Ukraine, in which two NABU officials were detained on suspicion of cooperating with Russia. The probe led to tighter restrictions on the two agencies amid a major corruption investigation. The decision was quickly reversed after massive demonstrations in Kyiv and across Ukraine.
Schemes contacted Anikyevich for comment, but she hung up as the reporter introduced themselves.
