[1] Vermilov is born on 16 November 1958 in the village of Aktobe, Kazakh SSR,[2] and was educated as a mechanical engineer at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute from September 1976 to June 1982, and obtained his master's degree in financial management from the National Academy of Management in 1999.

[3][4] Additionally, Vermilov was the head of production and engineering and head engineer of the Construction Directorate of the Crimean TPP from March 1992 to December 1996; the director of the subsidiary East Crimean Energy Company from December 1996 to November 1997; Chairman of the Board, Director of the Joint-Stock Company (JSC) Krymenergo from November 1997 to July 1999;[4][3] the 1st Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine from June 1999 to January 2000.

[7][8] Vermilov was officially appointed as Minister of Fuel and Energy in the government of Viktor Yushchenko on 13 July 2000, and would be in office until 6 March 2001.

He would be appointed for the second time as the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine in the government of Viktor Yanukovych from 30 November 2002 to 5 March 2004.

[14][15] Vermilov is married to Larisa Mykolayivna and has two sons; Pavlo and Oleksiy.