Yarmolenko's parents, native Ukrainians, were originally from Smolianka village, Kulykivka Raion, Chernihiv Oblast. After their marriage, Valentyna and Mykola Yarmolenko moved to Leningrad (modern-day Saint Petersburg) where Andriy was born in 1989. After a period of three years (after the collapse of the Soviet Union), the family moved back to their native land and settled in the city of Chernihiv.