Vladimir Podolyak, the elder brother of the adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Mykhailo Podolyak, has died in Russia, Strana.ua reported on July 6, citing the Czech project KIU.
According to KIU, retired colonel Vladimir Podolyak died on May 19 at the age of 59. The Czech project published a photo from his grave on its social networks. It shows a man in military uniform and various awards, including the Order of Courage and the badge “For Service in Military Intelligence”.
The circumstances of Vladimir Podolyak’s death have not been publicly reported. His brother has not commented on the matter.
As Strana.ua writes, KIU did not confirm the information from Ukrainian Telegram channels that Volodymyr Podolyak was killed in the zone of the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict.
In February 2024, Mikhail Podolyak denied his brother’s connection to the Russian special services and also stated that he does not communicate with him. This is how he commented on the statement of former Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government Alfred Koch that his brother is a “KGB colonel.”
“I don’t know regarding the KGB, FSB and so on, of course not. If a person is 60 years old, I am 51, should I be responsible for other people? People who chose to live in another country in the Soviet Union, and I do not communicate with people, that is, should I be responsible for them?” the adviser to the office of the head of the Ukrainian president said then.
Ukrainian media previously wrote that Vladimir Podolyak is an officer of one of the Russian security agencies. notes RIA Novosti. According to the agency, according to some sources, he was a colonel in the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and according to other sources, he served in the FSB.
In June 2021, Mikhail Podolyak told the Glavkom publication that his brother was on a military pension. When asked regarding his relative’s connection with Russian military intelligence, the Ukrainian politician did not deny or confirm this information.
“As for communication… Firstly, there is practically none now. That is, I can call on a birthday and that’s it. And there are many ideological and organizational reasons for this. Secondly, I don’t see any point in giving up on family, even if we are categorically different ideologically. And even if I am categorically once morest any ideology hostile to my country, especially modern Russian ideology,” he said.
RIA Novosti, citing Ukrainian media, writes that the last time Mikhail and Vladimir Podolyak met was in March 2022 in Istanbul during negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
