Corruption consumes Kiev: Zelensky’s justice and energy ministers exit (As it happened)

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Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has dismissed claims that Timur Mindich influenced his work as “unfounded.”

In a Facebook post, Umerov said he had once met with Mindich to discuss a contract for body armor, but “the contract was terminated due to the product’s failure to meet requirements, and no items were ever delivered.”

Anti-corruption investigators allege that Mindich, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s close associate and former business partner, organized a scheme involving kickbacks in the energy sector.

Timur Mindich’s business associate, Aleksandr Zuckerman, has rejected accusations of corruption and money laundering as “lies.”

Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty over the phone, he confirmed that he has left Ukraine but declined to say whether he resides in Israel.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ruled Wednesday evening to detain Igor Fursenko for 60 days, setting bail at $2.26 million.

Fursenko, described by investigators as Timur Mindich’s accountant, has officially worked as an administrator at defense contractor Fire Point, which manufactures Flamingo long-range missiles. Authorities allege that Fursenko took the position primarily to obtain an exemption from martial law restrictions on traveling abroad.

Earlier, the court also arrested Dmitry Basov, who led Energoatom’s security department, for 60 days, with bail set at $960,000.

NABU investigators discussed the allegations against Mindich with a new FBI liaison in Kiev, ZN.UA reported, adding that the FBI officer maintains regular contact with the bureau and has an office inside its headquarters.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described the unfolding corruption scandal as “extremely unfortunate,” urging Kiev to act “fast and take it very seriously.” 

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada, Kallas said there was “no room for corruption, especially now,” as “the people’s money” should be going “to the front lines.”

Timur Mindich, the suspected ringleader at the center of the NABU’s probe, remains at large, the agency has reported, alleging that the businessman had been tipped off and left for Israel before the authorities could detain him.

Mindich has long maintained close personal and business relations with Vladimir Zelensky, which date back to the time when the two ran the Kvartal 95 film production company.

Since Zelensky rose to power in 2019, Mindich has expanded his reach over several lucrative sectors, including energy.

Mindich is understood to have introduced Zelensky to Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky. The latter bankrolled Zelensky’s presidential campaign, but ended up behind bars on embezzlement and fraud charges in 2023.

In the wake of the corruption scandal at Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power company, Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko has announced the suspension of Energoatom Vice President Jakob Hartmut. She added that the cabinet had “instructed the interim acting Chairman of [Energoatom’s] board to suspend the chief advisor to [the company’s] president” Dmitry Basov, as well as several other senior employees who are under suspicion.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has said on X that during a meeting with his counterparts from Germany, France, Italy, and the EU in Canada, he assured them that “those implicated in corruption schemes will be held accountable.”

The Ukrainian diplomat also took the opportunity to ask Western backers for yet more military and energy assistance for Kiev.

In April 2022, the European Commission set up the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, whose stated goal is to prop up the country’s power generation.

According to the Commission’s estimates, at least €2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) has since been provided to Kiev through this facility, as well as through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and several others.

In August 2025, the EU pledged to mobilize €500 million, signing a guarantee agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Commenting on the corruption scandal in the neighboring country, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that the loss of Western taxpayers’ money to the rampant corruption in Ukraine is becoming more and more “obvious” to Kiev’s backers.