Illia Yemets

Illia Mykolayovych Yemets (Ukrainian: Ілля Миколайович Ємець; born 21 February 1956) is a Ukrainian physician and politician and twice appointed Minister of Healthcare. During his tenure as Minister of Health, Yemets faced strong criticism over controversial statements about elderly people during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine and allegations that he delayed centralized procurement of protective equipment and medicines. In subsequent years, he became the subject of journalistic investigations concerning his wealth, financial declarations, acquisition of real estate abroad during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and possible conflicts of interest. In 2026, Yemets became the subject of further public controversies involving allegations of sexual harassment of female employees, as well as media reports regarding his departure from Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his family’s assets.