Lawyers linked to former Zelenskyy's Office Head Yermak and Operation Midas figure Mindich met in Israel – UP

Lawyer Ihor Fomin, who represents former Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andrii Yermak, travelled to Israel, where he met with the lawyer of Tymur Mindich, the central figure of Operation Midas, businessman and former co-owner of Kvartal 95. Fomin flew to Tel Aviv together with Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel.

Source: an Ukrainska Pravda investigation

Details: Ukrainska Pravda found out that on 15 January Yermak held a one-hour meeting with Yevhen Korniichuk, Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, near the Office of the President of Ukraine.

On 25 January, a flight departed from Chișinău Airport (Moldova) to Tel Aviv (Israel). According to Ukrainska Pravda sources in law enforcement, those on board included Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniichuk and well-known lawyer Ihor Fomin. The outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia had previously reported that Fomin became Yermak's lawyer.

Ambassador Korniichuk drove Fomin in an embassy vehicle to a hotel in the city of Herzliya, where Mindich also resides.

The following morning, the Ukrainian ambassador again arrived at the hotel where Fomin was staying.

Ukrainska Pravda sources said that Korniichuk brought Yermak's lawyer to negotiations with Mindich. As the sources explained, Yermak is interested in ensuring that Mindich does not testify against him, therefore protection to Mindich may have been offered during the talks in exchange for his silence.

Ukrainska Pravda could not confirm whether Fomin managed to meet Mindich himself, as sources close to the businessman told the outlet that he was very reluctant to appear in front of cameras again.

However, it is known that Fomin met with Israeli lawyer Boris Lemper, who, sources say, represents Mindich.

In December 2025, Mindich himself was unable to say who his lawyer was in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda: at first he said that his lawyers forbade him from speaking on the subject, and later insisted that he was still looking for lawyers.

For reference: Boris Lemper is known for representing clients in cases related to Russia and Ukraine. In particular, his firm provides expert legal opinions on matters of Ukrainian law for Israeli courts. Lemper's company website also states that the firm represents Russia's Channel One, the Russian airline Aeroflot, the Property Management Department of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem (the official representation of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Israel), and others.

According to the investigation, Yermak's lawyer stayed in Israel for only a few days and was also taken back to the airport in an official vehicle with diplomatic number plates belonging to Ukraine's Embassy in Israel.

Ukrainska Pravda requested comments from Ihor Fomin, Ambassador Yevhen Korniichuk and Tymur Mindich.

Mindich did not respond to the request but said he would invite the outlet to a meeting to "give an interview", in which he would comment on these issues, among others.

Korniichuk said that he had been "friends with Fomin for about 25 years", recalled that they did indeed fly together, but insisted that he "did not help arrange any meetings" and "does not know whom he met".

When asked whether he had met with Yermak on 15 January, the ambassador said: "I can neither confirm nor deny it." He added that he has known Yermak since 2000, as they were partners in legal practice, but stressed that they "had not communicated for many years before his appointment".

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!