{"id":572901,"date":"2025-11-15T22:43:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T22:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/572901\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T22:43:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T22:43:13","slug":"former-zelenskyy-associate-tymur-mindich-named-in-ukrainian-corruption-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/572901\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Zelenskyy associate Tymur Mindich named in Ukrainian corruption scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Before the revelation of a multimillion dollar embezzlement and kickbacks scandal<\/a> involving Ukraine\u2019s state nuclear energy company brought his name to the forefront, Tymur Mindich was a shadowy presence \u2014 navigating deals and moving behind the scenes with unseen influence, known to many, yet rarely spoken of.<\/p>\n

Mindich was linked to growing fears over his expanding influence within the country\u2019s lucrative industries, his access facilitated by his ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two were once business partners and Mindich\u2019s influence had expanded under Zelenskyy\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n

The full extent of that influence was exposed this week when Ukraine\u2019s anti-corruption watchdogs<\/a> released the findings of a 15-month investigation into a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving top officials and Ukraine\u2019s state nuclear power company<\/a>, accusing Mindich of being the mastermind behind the plot. <\/p>\n

Mindich has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him likely to be carried out in absentia. Two top government ministers have resigned.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian officials, experts and activists contend Mindich\u2019s rise to power is closely tied to his privileged relationship with the president and Zelenskyy\u2019s inner circle. The investigation does not implicate Zelenskyy himself, and he has openly supported the work of anti-corruption agencies while sanctioning Mindich once its findings were revealed. Writing on X on Saturday, the president said the leadership of state-owned energy companies will be renewed and their finances audited. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we were hearing only as rumors now has some evidence,\u201d said activist Tetiana Shevchuk of Ukraine\u2019s Anti-Corruption Action Center. \u201cFor a long time we have heard that Tymur Mindich is a shadow controller of the energy sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

The entertainment tycoon<\/p>\n

Until Zelenskyy\u2019s presidency, Mindich, 46, was just one among many wealthy Ukrainian entertainment industry entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

Mindich was a co-owner of Zelenskyy\u2019s production company Kvartal 95, named for the comedy troupe that helped catapult the Ukrainian president to fame as a comedian before he entered politics. Zelenskyy transferred his stake in the company to his partners after he was elected.<\/p>\n

Despite expanding his business portfolio since Zelenskyy\u2019s election, Mindich maintained ties to the entertainment world. Until the corruption probe was exposed this week, he was a producer of the comedy show \u201cStadium Family\u201d on YouTube. In light of the scandal and his tarnished reputation, the show\u2019s owners shut it down this week.<\/p>\n

He is also a relative of Leonid Mindich, who was arrested by Ukraine\u2019s anti-corruption authorities in June when he was trying to flee the country, according to local reports. He was charged with embezzling $16 million from an electric power company.<\/p>\n

Rise under Zelenskyy<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy and Mindich\u2019s close friendship is documented. The president used Mindich\u2019s armored car during the final stretch of his presidential campaign in 2019. In January 2021, Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday in Mindich\u2019s apartment during COVID. The two own apartments in the same building.<\/p>\n

After Zelenskyy\u2019s 2019 presidential win, Mindich\u2019s political ties grew.<\/p>\n

He was a close business associate of Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, who backed Zelenskyy\u2019s presidential campaign. Zelenskyy later cut ties with the billionaire and in 2023, Kolomoysky was arrested by Ukrainian security services on fraud and money-laundering charges.<\/p>\n

Businesses once associated with Kolomoysky began claiming that Mindich was now their beneficiary. \u201cGradually, in three years, he became not an oligarch, but a known business owner with an interest in a lot of businesses,\u201d said Shevchuk, the anti-corruption activist.<\/p>\n

They include agricultural enterprises and the nationalized SENSE Bank. But, his name appeared most often in association with state energy companies, according to current and former Ukrainian officials, activists and experts.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian activists contend that without his close association with Zelenskyy, it would have been impossible for Mindich to cement his rise.<\/p>\n

Mindich \u201cwould have never been in politics, never been in a position of power or business without his connection to Zelenskyy, and this magnitude is worse because it\u2019s happening during war time, and it is related to energy infrastructure at a time when Ukrainians don\u2019t have electricity in their homes,\u201d Shevchuk said.<\/p>\n

An alleged mastermind<\/p>\n

The case against Mindich rests on 1,000 hours of wiretaps revealing his significant influence over Herman Haluschenko, Ukraine\u2019s energy minister from 2021-2025, until he was named justice minister in July. Haluschenko resigned that post after the investigation became public this week.<\/p>\n

While rarely named as a direct beneficiary in official documents, investigators cite extensive wiretapping evidence they allege shows Mindich exerted control over a network of loyalists who pressured contractors for Energoatom, the state nuclear power company, demanding kickbacks of up to 15% to bypass bureaucratic obstacles and do business smoothly.<\/p>\n

Investigators allege the illicit funds were siphoned off, laundered through shell companies and funneled into Mindich\u2019s pockets and those of his associates.<\/p>\n

These findings collected by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, known as NABU, and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office, or SAPO, will be central to any future court proceedings.<\/p>\n

A possible drone dealer<\/p>\n

NABU is also conducting an investigation into Mindich\u2019s alleged dealings with Ukraine\u2019s top drone manufacturer, Fire Point<\/a>, but has not yet revealed its findings. Fire Point, which develops deep-strike drones<\/a> capable of hitting targets inside Russian territory, has denied any such dealings. <\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s domestic drone industry has seen a swift and remarkable rise, fueled by wartime innovation and urgent military demands. What was once a niche sector quickly evolved into a formidable technological force within just a few years.<\/p>\n

Fire Point is among local companies and startups that have rapidly developed advanced drones for reconnaissance, surveillance and combat operations, supported by growing investments. The NABU investigation is looking into whether Mindich is the ultimate beneficiary of the company. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Before the revelation of a multimillion dollar embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving Ukraine\u2019s state…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7654],"tags":[2575,19118,26934,2000,299,4179,181721,181720,285,7661,24392,657,7662,2601,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-572901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ukraine","8":"tag-corruption","9":"tag-embezzlement","10":"tag-energy-industry","11":"tag-eu","12":"tag-europe","13":"tag-general-news","14":"tag-herman-haluschenko","15":"tag-leonid-mindich","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","18":"tag-scandals","19":"tag-ukraine","20":"tag-ukraine-government","21":"tag-volodymyr-zelenskyy","22":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115556135979880446","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}