A political strategist from the President’s Office, Petrov, obtained a draft deferment by getting a job at a military memorial cemetery

Political strategist and one of the authors of the YouTube channel “Iceland,” Volodymyr Petrov, who is close to the President’s Office, received a deferment from military service by taking a job at the state institution “National Military Memorial Cemetery” (SI “NMMC”).

Some media outlets and members of parliament wrote about this first, and today the information was officially confirmed.

The National Military Memorial Cemetery said on Facebook that Petrov has been dismissed.

“Volodymyr Petrov, who held the position of leading specialist of the Communications and Information Technologies Department of SI ‘NMMC,’ was dismissed on January 20, 2026 from his position at his own request in accordance with Article 38 of the Labor Code of Ukraine. The dismissal took place on the basis of the employee’s personal application and was оформлено in the manner established by law,” the post says.

According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak from the Holos party, Petrov worked at the cemetery from July 31, 2025, thanks to which he received a deferment from mobilization, since this institution has the status of being critically important. Moreover, the director responsible for reserving employees at the cemetery is Yaroslav Proniutkyn, a longtime associate of Petrov. Over the entire period of work at the NMMC, Petrov received 72,874 hryvnias (€1,445) in salary.

Petrov himself did not comment on the statements cited.

It is recalled that in the 2019 elections Petrov registered with the Central Election Commission as a candidate for president.

During the war he has been noted for numerous scandalous statements; for example, he mockingly commented on the appearance of the popular rap performer Alyona Alyona.