The Ukrainian leader’s links to the businessman charged in a high level corruption case continue to cast a shadow over him
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A
Ukrainian media outlet has published what it claims to be transcripts
from surveillance recordings of Timur Mindich, businessman and longtime
associate of Vladimir Zelensky who is accused of orchestrating a major
corruption scheme.
Mindich, who fled Ukraine for Israel last
November shortly before being indicted and is now contesting an
extradition request, was wiretapped by Western backed anti-corruption
bodies. Some of the recordings, said to capture conversations at a
luxury Kiev apartment, have been used as evidence in the case against
him and his associates.
On Tuesday, Ukrainskaya Pravda (UP)
released an hour-long video in which a journalist reads what was
described as partial transcripts of the ‘Mindich tapes.’ The outlet did
not provide the original audio or clarify how the material was obtained,
but said it was the first installment in a planned series.
Who is Timur Mindich?
Originally a subordinate within
the orbit of Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoysky, whose media empire
offered Zelensky opportunities as a comedian and producer, Mindich
reportedly emerged as an independent power broker during Zelensky’s
presidency, which extended beyond constitutional limits under martial
law.
Mindich is the main suspect in an investigation conducted by
the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized
Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) into an extortion scheme in
the state-owned atomic energy company Energoatom, that reportedly caused
about $100 million in losses.
He has also been reported to be the
chief beneficiary of Firepoint, a former casting company founded in
2022 that later claimed about $1 billion in sales of kamikaze drones and
long range missiles, although he has described the alleged connection
as “mythical” and slanderous.
Remarks by Kolomoysky that
Mindich lacked the brains to run a serious criminal operation fueled
suspicions that he was merely a patsy for the real mastermind.
What’s on the tapes?
Three separate conversations that
Mindich allegedly held last year are described. One was with Sergey
Shefir, a business partner of Zelensky and his first chief of staff.
Another was with Rustem Umerov, who was defense minister at the time of
the recording. A third was with a woman identified as Natalia, who
reportedly oversaw a luxury construction project for Mindich and Andrey
Yermak, Zelensky’s second chief of staff.
According to transcripts
cited by UP, Mindich and Shefir discussed a separate bribery case of
former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov, who has since been embroiled
in the Energoatom scandal. They reportedly spoke about raising funds for
Chernyshov’s $2.7 million bail in coordination with “Andrey” and “Smirnov” – said by the outlet to be Andrey Yermak and one of his aides.
Shefir
also reportedly said he was happy to be free of media scrutiny after
leaving office, adding that he no longer had to hide visits to Mindich.
He further urged Mindich to give an interview denying allegations that
he was profiting from his government connections.
The recording
involving Natalia concerns a residential development that the outlet
described as a controversial project allegedly linked to Zelensky,
Yermak, Mindich, and Chernyshov. In the conversation, Mindich reportedly
laments having to mothball construction because of unwanted attention
following Chernyshov’s downfall.
Mindich’s purported conversation with Umerov appears to suggest that
the businessman was effectively running Firepoint. He allegedly pressed
Umerov for additional funding, discussed an investment proposal from an
UAE investor, and how shareholders could receive $300 million in cash,
and claimed the company could undercut an unnamed American rival if
given sufficient resources.
Mindich also reportedly urged Umerov
to approve a shipment of body armor supplied by his firm that the
ministry had refused to certify. That exchange was later cited in an
indictment leaked to the press in November.
What new crimes do the tapes reveal?
None, by UP’s own account.
The
outlet argued, however, that publishing the records was in the public
interest because they appeared to confirm close ties between Mindich and
senior government officials, including Zelensky and people in his inner
circle.
A “Vova” – a familiar form of Zelensky’s first name – is mentioned several times in the recordings.
Are the transcripts real?
Ukrainskaya Pravda is considered a reputable major publication known for sources within law enforcement.
Leaks
to the media are a longstanding tool of political infighting in
Ukraine, as in many other countries. Whether the material came from
investigators or from Mindich’s defense team, which has legal access to
evidence in the case, remains unclear.
However, the outlet’s report is broadly critical of Mindich and his government associates.
How has the Ukrainian government reacted?
With silence.
Mindich
declined to comment to UP, while the office of Rustem Umerov, who now
heads the National Security and Defense Council, said it does not
comment on fragmentary recordings of questionable authenticity.
Following the publication, an opposition lawmaker called on Umerov to testify before a parliamentary committee in mid May.
Is the timing of the Mindich tape leak significant?
Some
Ukrainian outlets, such as Strana.ua, have suggested the leak came
after the EU approved disbursement of a €90 billion ($105 billion)
assistance package intended to bankroll Kiev. The funding lifeline
reportedly helps avert a likely Ukrainian government shutdown.
The
speculation is that Zelensky is being pressured to appoint EU-approved
candidates to lead other law enforcement agencies that do not enjoy the
same institutional independence as NABU and SAPO.
Last year, as
investigators were getting close to charging Chernyshov, Zelensky had
parliament approve a reform placing the anti-corruption bodies under the
authority of the Prosecutor General’s office, a post he can appoint
under presidential powers.
Zelensky later reversed the changes after mass protests broke
out across the country, critical coverage appeared in mainstream media,
and Kiev’s Western backers reportedly threatened to freeze all funding.
Notably,
Ukrainskaya Pravda and Strana.ua are both mentioned in the leaked
transcripts, with Mindich and Shefir reportedly speaking of them
approvingly as news sources.