Reports of the death of the elder brother of Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine

What the Ukrainian outlet reported

The death of Volodymyr Podolyak — the elder brother of Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine — was reported by the Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua; Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru wrote about it on November 9, 2026, citing the publication. According to journalists, 59-year-old Volodymyr Mykhailovych Podolyak was killed in the village of Kyrylivka in Zaporizhzhia region while serving on the side of the Russian Armed Forces.

Discrepancies in the details

The outlets give differing information about the date and cause of death. Life.ru writes that Volodymyr Podolyak died in May 2024 and claims that the cause was a traumatic brain injury and woundssustained during combat. Gazeta.Ru gives a more precise date — May 19, 2024 — but notes that the cause of death was not reported. Gazeta.Ru also cites data from the Czech resource KIU, which reported the adviser's brother's death as early as July 2024: according to that resource, photographs of the grave show a serviceman in uniform with numerous decorations, including a GRU badge, and the deceased himself was a retired intelligence colonel. This information comes from media outlets and has not been officially confirmed.

What was known earlier

The brother's residence in Russia became known earlier: in February 2024, Mykhailo Podolyak confirmed that his elder brother Volodymyr was living in Moscow, but rejected information about his work for the FSB and stressed that he hardly communicates with the relative. Thus, the new report from Strana.ua — about the brother's death in Zaporizhzhia region on the side of Russian troops — contradicts the adviser's earlier public statements, in which he spoke only about the relative living in Moscow and the lack of contact with him.