A video in which Yermak tells reporters, "I definitely didn't talk to fortune-tellers," was posted by the My–Ukraina YouTube channel on May 13.
When asked whether he knows astrologer Veronika Anikievych, Yermak said, "I know several Veronikas. I don't remember their surnames. Maybe one of them is that Veronika... I have many acquaintances." He added that there are so many memes about his corruption case "that there isn't enough time to comment on all of them."
Reporters asked whether he had consulted on appointments to government posts, specifically the appointment of the prosecutor general.
"How could I consult on the appointment of a prosecutor general when the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament] selects that person?" Yermak replied.
At the May 12 court hearing, Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutor Valentina Hrebenyuk said Yermak was likely involved in the appointment of several senior officials and discussed those appointments with a contact saved in his phone as "Veronika feng shui office." Among the appointments allegedly discussed was the selection of Iryna Venediktova as prosecutor general in March 2020.
RFE/RL reporters identified the alleged adviser as
51-year-old Kyiv resident Veronika Anikievych, who describes herself as an
"astrology consultant."