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Volodymyr Zelensky’s close business partner has been accused of being the prime architect of a “high-level criminal organisation”. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered a massive corruption scandal by carrying out raids against 70 Ukrainian businesspeople and energy sector insiders. According to NABU, the scheme laundered around $100m (£76m) from the energy sector, which faces daily Russian bombardment.
The alleged leader of the scheme was businessman Timur Mindich, who has ties to people in the Ukrainian Government and co-owns the Kvartal 95 media company, which was co-founded by Volodymyr Zelensky. Mindich’s group was reportedly collecting bribes from contractors to state-owned energy companies, including the nuclear energy agency Energoatom, in exchange for ensuring they remained suppliers and that their products or services were not blocked. The bureau reported that the group was collecting bribes from Energoatom contractors, amounting to 10-15% of the value of each contract.
German Galushchenko, the justice minister, has been suspended due to his alleged involvement, and Svitlana Hrynchuk, the energy minister, has also resigned, reportedly following a request from Zelensky. Both deny any wrongdoing, The Telegraph has reported.
At first, Kyiv Independent reports, Zelensky tried to donwplay Mindich’s involvement in the corruption case, but more details emerged and the president eventually publicly supported NABU’s actions. He also promised to impose sanctions on his former business partner.
“Everyone who created schemes must receive a clear procedural response. There must be verdicts. And government officials must work together with NABU, together with law enforcement agencies,” Zelensky said.
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told the Kyiv Independent that for almost every Ukrainian president, the “inner circle is always a problem”.
In 2019, Zelensky promised to bring “fresh faces” into politics, lacking political background and putting his team together on the go. This, according to the outlet, resulted in friends and business partners becoming his core group.
“For Zelensky, these are friends. People he knew and trusted. But life has punished him a few times, especially now with Mindich, showing that excessive trust in friends can end badly,” Fesenko said.
Before he could be charged, Mindich had already fled Ukraine for Israel, where he has citizenship.
None of these convergences provides direct evidence that Zelensky tolerated Mindich’s alleged corruption. But Mindich’s ties to Zelensky raise doubts about the president’s moral judgment and character, contributing to Ukrainians’ growing dissatisfaction with their leader.
“Internally this scandal will be used to undermine unity and stability within the country. Externally, our enemies will use it as an argument to stop aid to Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelensky’s party. “It looks really bad in the eyes of our European and American partners. While Russians destroy our power grid and people have to endure blackouts, someone at the top was stealing money during the war.”
Back in July, Zelensky unsuccessfully attempted to limit the independence of the country’s anti-corruption institutions – a move which he was eventually forced to abandon. The same institutions are now exposing Mindich’s corruption scandal. Zelensky is also under pressure for the military’s impending surrender of Pokrovsk, and predictions of his demise are circulating.
The case is still evolving, with new revelations every day, which will impact Zelensky’s reputation as the country’s heroic leader. However, his response to the scrutiny could decide whether it strengthens or weakens his re-election prospects.
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