Once a shadowy dealmaker, one-time Zelenskyy associate is accused in Ukrainian corruption scandal
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Before the release of a document multimillion-dollar embezzlement and kickback scandal Timur Mindich, whose involvement in Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company brought his name to prominence, was an obscure presence known to many but rarely talked about, manipulating deals and acting behind the scenes with an unseen influence.
Mindich was linked to growing fears about his increasing influence over the country’s lucrative industries; his access was facilitated by his ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two were once business partners, and Mindich’s influence expanded during Zelenskyy’s tenure.
The full extent of this impact was revealed in Ukraine this week. anti-corruption watchdogs It released the findings of a 15-month investigation into a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving senior officials. Ukraine’s state nuclear energy companyHe accuses Mindich of being the mastermind behind the conspiracy.
Mindich fled the country; Any criminal proceedings against him will likely be conducted in absentia. Two senior ministers resigned.
Ukrainian officials, experts and activists claim that Mindich’s rise to power is closely tied to his privileged relationship with the president and Zelenskyy’s inner circle.
“What we heard as mere rumors now has some evidence,” said activist Tetiana Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Center. “We have long heard that Tymur Mindich is the shadow controller of the energy sector.”
entertainment king
Mindich, 46, was the only Ukrainian entertainment industry entrepreneur until Zelenskyy’s presidency.
Mindich was a co-owner of Zelenskyy’s production company, Kvartal 95, named after the comedy troupe that helped the Ukrainian president gain fame as a comedian before entering politics. After being elected, Zelenskyy transferred his shares in the company to his partners.
Mindich has maintained ties with the entertainment world even as he has expanded his business portfolio since Zelenskyy’s election. He was producing the comedy show “Stadium Family” on YouTube until the corruption investigation came to light this week. Due to the scandal and damage to its reputation, the show’s owners shut down the show this week.
According to local news, he is also a relative of Leonid Mindich, who was arrested by Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs in June while trying to flee the country; He was accused of embezzling $16 million from an electric power company.
Rise under Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy and Mindich’s close friendship has been documented. The president used Mindich’s armored vehicle during the final stretch of his 2019 presidential campaign. In January 2021, Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday at Mindich’s apartment during COVID. There are two flats in the same building.
Following Zelenskyy’s presidential victory in 2019, Mindich’s political ties strengthened.
He was a close business associate of Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, who supported Zelenskyy’s presidential campaign. Zelenskyy later cut ties with the billionaire, and in 2023 Kolomoysky was arrested by Ukrainian security services on charges of fraud and money laundering.
Companies once linked to Kolomoysky began to claim that Mindich was now their beneficiary. “Gradually, over three years, he became not an oligarch, but a known businessman with ties to many enterprises,” said anti-corruption activist Shevchuk.
These include agricultural enterprises and the nationalized SENSE bank. But his name was often associated with state energy companies, according to current and former Ukrainian officials, activists and experts.
Ukrainian activists claim that it would have been impossible for Mindich to consolidate his rise if not for his close relationship with Zelenskyy.
Shevchuk said Mindich “would never have been in politics without his connection to Zelenskyy, he would never have been in power or in business, and this aspect is even worse because this is happening in wartime and it’s about energy infrastructure at a time when Ukrainians do not have electricity in their homes.”
A person who allegedly has a plan
The case against Mindich is based on 1,000 hours of wiretaps that reveal his significant influence over Herman Haluschenko, who was Ukraine’s energy minister from 2021 to 2025 until his appointment as justice minister in July. Haluschenko resigned from his post after the investigation became public this week.
Although rarely named as a direct beneficiary in official documents, investigators cite extensive wiretapping evidence in which they allege Mindich exercised control over a network of loyalists who pressured contractors for the state nuclear energy company Energoatom and demanded commissions of up to 15% to bypass bureaucratic hurdles and run the business smoothly.
Investigators allege illicit funds were funneled, laundered through shell companies and transferred into the pockets of Mindich and his associates.
These findings, collected by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau, known as NABU, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, or SAPO, will be at the center of any future court hearings.
A possible drone seller
NABU is also conducting an investigation into allegations that Mindich did business with Ukraine’s top brass. drone manufacturer Fire Pointbut has yet to release its findings. Fire Point is evolving deep attack drones The United States, which can strike targets on Russian territory, has rejected any such agreement.
Ukraine’s domestic drone industry has experienced rapid and remarkable growth, driven by wartime innovations and pressing military demands. What was once a niche industry has rapidly transformed into a formidable technological powerhouse in just a few years.
Fire Point is among local companies and startups rapidly developing advanced drones for reconnaissance, surveillance and combat operations, supported by growing investments. The NABU investigation is investigating whether Mindich was the ultimate beneficiary of the company.
