Zelenskyy's former business partner Mindich influenced former energy and defence ministers

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's close friend Tymur Mindich is alleged to have exerted influence over former energy minister Herman Halushchenko and former defence minister Rustem Umierov. The allegation was made by the prosecution during the hearing of a petition brought by a National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detective seeking the detention of Ihor Myroniuk, a suspect in the investigation into corruption at the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom.

Source: the hearing at the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine

Details: A representative of the High Anti-Corruption Court stated during the hearing that Mindich, who is also a suspect in the NABU investigation, smoothed things over with the then energy and defence ministers.

"The investigation established that throughout 2025, Mindich engaged in criminal activities in the energy sector by influencing energy minister Halushchenko, and in the defence sector by influencing defence minister Umierov," a prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said.

According to the prosecution, the success of Mindich's operations relied on his personal ties with Umierov, Halushchenko and other senior officials, whom he would meet privately at his apartment.

With their help, Mindich and his companies received money, while the officials, including former energy minister Halushchenko, benefited from Mindich's patronage in relation to Zelenskyy.

Umierov is currently on a visit to Istanbul.

Background:

• The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has detained five people and notified seven people of suspicion, including a businessman alleged to be the leader of the criminal organisation, a former adviser to the energy minister, and the executive director for physical protection and security at Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power company.
• NABU's investigation indicates that tens of millions of dollars from Energoatom were laundered with help from complicit officials.
• The alleged scheme was somewhat crude: businesses that wanted to sell goods or services to Energoatom had to pay a 10-15% kickback or face non-payment and removal from the supplier list – a mechanism dubbed the "tollgate", since you either share your margin or you are left standing at closed doors.
• The ringleader is alleged to be Tymur Mindich (known as "Karlson" in the NABU files), a businessman, former associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and co-owner of Kvartal 95, the Ukrainian TV production company that Zelenskyy founded before he became president. Mindich left Ukraine just hours before the NABU search began.
• The home of former energy minister Herman Halushchenko ("Professor" or "Hera" on the tapes) was also searched on 10 November. Sources say that Halushchenko is still an influential figure in the sector through the current energy minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, and various managers that he installed prior to his dismissal in July 2025.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!