Once a shadowy dealmaker, former Zelenskyy associate is accused in
Ukrainian corruption scandal
[November 15, 2025]
By SAMYA KULLAB
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Before the revelation of a multi-million dollar
embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving Ukraine's state nuclear
energy company brought his name to the forefront, Tymur Mindich was a
shadowy presence — navigating deals and moving behind the scenes with
unseen influence, known to many, yet rarely spoken of.
Mindich was linked to growing fears over his expanding influence within
the country’s lucrative industries, his access facilitated by his ties
to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two were once business partners
and Mindich’s influence had expanded under Zelenskyy's tenure.
The full extent of that influence was exposed this week when Ukraine’s
anti-corruption watchdogs released the findings of a 15-month
investigation into a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving top
officials and Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, accusing Mindich of
being the mastermind behind the plot.
Mindich has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him
likely to be carried out in absentia. Two top government ministers have
resigned.
Ukrainian officials, experts and activists contend Mindich’s rise to
power is closely tied to his privileged relationship with the president
and Zelenskyy's 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.
“What we were hearing only as rumors now has some evidence,” said
activist Tetiana Shevchuk of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center.
“For a long time we have heard that Tymur Mindich is a shadow controller
of the energy sector.”
The entertainment tycoon
Until Zelenskyy’s presidency, Mindich, 46, was just one among many
wealthy Ukrainian entertainment industry entrepreneurs.
Mindich was a co-owner of Zelenskyy's 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.
Despite expanding his business portfolio since Zelenskyy’s election,
Mindich maintained ties to the entertainment world. Until the corruption
probe was exposed this week, he was a producer of the comedy show
“Stadium Family” on YouTube. In light of the scandal and his tarnished
reputation, the show’s owners shut it down this week.
He is also a relative of Leonid Mindich, who was arrested by Ukraine’s
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.
Rise under Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy and Mindich’s close friendship is documented. The president
used Mindich’s armored car during the final stretch of his presidential
campaign in 2019. In January 2021, Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday in
Mindich's apartment during COVID. The two own apartments in the same
building.
After Zelenskyy’s 2019 presidential win, Mindich's political ties grew.
He was a close business associate of Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky,
who backed Zelenskyy’s 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.
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Flamingo missiles are seen at Fire Point's secret factory in Ukraine
on Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
Businesses once associated with Kolomoysky began claiming that
Mindich was now their beneficiary. “Gradually, in three years, he
became not an oligarch, but a known businessman with an interest in
a lot of businesses,” said Shevchuk, the anti-corruption activist.
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.
Ukrainian activists contend that without his close association with
Zelenskyy, it would have been impossible for Mindich to cement his
rise.
Mindich “would 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’s happening during war time, and it is
related to energy infrastructure at a time when Ukrainians don’t
have electricity in their homes,” Shevchuk said.
An alleged mastermind
The case against Mindich rests on 1,000 hours of wiretaps revealing
his significant influence over Herman Haluschenko, Ukraine’s energy
minister from 2021-2025, until he was named justice minister in
July. Haluschenko resigned that post after the investigation became
public this week.
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.
Investigators allege the illicit funds were siphoned off, laundered
through shell companies and funneled into Mindich's pockets and
those of his associates.
These findings collected by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of
Ukraine, known as NABU, and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s
Office, or SAPO will be central to any future court proceedings.
A possible drone dealer
NABU is also conducting an investigation into Mindich’s alleged
dealings with Ukraine’s top drone manufacturer, Fire Point, but has
not yet revealed its findings. Fire Point, which develops
deep-strike drones capable of hitting targets inside Russian
territory, has denied any such dealings.
Ukraine’s 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.
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.
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