Another suspect in Mindich case arrested

Viktor Volokita - 12 November, 19:25

A gavel and scales of justice. Stock photo: Court.gov.ua

Lesia Ustymenko, another suspect in the Energoatom embezzlement scheme, has been remanded in custody.

Source: Suspilne, Ukrainian public broadcaster

Details: The pre-trial restriction chosen by the court is a 60-day detention, with the option of bail in the amount of UAH 25 million (about US$600,000).

This is the third arrest made on 12 November in connection with the Energoatom embezzlement case. Energoatom's executive director and former adviser to the energy minister Ihor Myroniuk were also detained today.

All the individuals charged by NABU in the large-scale corruption case involving Energoatom have been identified by Radio Liberty.

The investigative journalism project Skhemy found that in addition to Tymur Mindich (known as "Karlson" in the NABU files), former Energy Ministry adviser Ihor Myroniuk ("Rocket"), Energoatom's executive director for security Dmytro Basov ("Tenor"), and Oleksandr Tsukerman ("Sugarman"), notices of suspicion have been served on Ihor Fursenko ("Roshyk"), Lesia Ustymenko and Liudmyla Zorina.

Background:

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has released the third part of Operation Midas, its investigation into a large-scale corruption scheme at Energoatom.
Suspects in the NABU investigation, who were reportedly shielded by government officials, laundered tens of millions of dollars from Energoatom.
According to NABU, the money-laundering 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 (referred to as "Karlson" in the NABU files), a businessman and co-owner of Kvartal 95, the Ukrainian TV production company that Volodymyr Zelenskyy founded before he became president. Mindich left Ukraine just hours before the NABU search began.
The offices of former energy minister Herman Halushchenko ("Professor" or "Hera" on the tapes) were also searched on 10 November. Economichna Pravda sources say that Halushchenko continued to be an influential figure in the sector through his successor, Svitlana Hrynchuk, and the many managers that he personally installed prior to his dismissal in July 2025.
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 NABU detective seeking the detention of Ihor Myroniuk, another suspect in the investigation.
The prosecution stated that Mindich built connections with Halushchenko through his links to Zelenskyy and acted as a patron for Halushchenko in relation to Zelenskyy.
Herman Halushchenko has been suspended as justice minister.
Energoatom's security director, Dmytro Basov, has been remanded in custody by the High Anti-Corruption Court on suspicion of involvement in mass corruption in the energy industry. Basov appeared as "Tenor" on the NABU tapes.
The High Anti-Corruption Court has ordered that former Energy Ministry advisor Ihor Myroniuk be remanded in custody with the option of bail in the amount of UAH 126 million (approx. US$3 million) on suspicion of involvement in the corruption case.

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