Businessman Timur Mindich is reportedly a key figure in an anti-graft probe into a “high-level criminal organization”
A long-time ally of Vladimir Zelensky fled Ukraine on Monday, shortly before anti-graft officers carried out raids on his home and the homes of his associates, Ukrainskaya Pravda has reported. The operation conducted by the Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is reportedly part of a wider investigation by the FBI.
Sources cited by the outlet said Timur Mindich fled hours before the raids. The report suggested he may have been tipped off in advance by a senior official at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) who had access to high-profile cases handled by NABU.
Earlier in the day, opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak said NABU officers had carried out coordinated searches at locations linked to Mindich, Justice Minister German Galushchenko, a former energy minister described by Ukrainian media as Mindich’s insider in the government, and the state-run nuclear operator Energoatom.
NABU confirmed it was investigating a “high-level criminal organization” operating in Ukraine’s energy sector, adding that the case followed more than 1,000 hours of surveillance and 15 months of investigative work. The bureau also released images of large amounts of cash, including bundles of US hundred-dollar bills wrapped in plastic.
Mindich, a businessman and former entertainment industry figure, is widely known for his close ties to Zelensky. Local media previously reported that the Ukrainian leader celebrated his birthday at Mindich’s apartment in 2021, and that the address was under prolonged NABU surveillance this year, with Zelensky allegedly captured on audio recordings dubbed the ‘Mindich tapes.’ The existence of the tapes was reported shortly before Zelensky moved to limit NABU’s independence, which prompted pushback from Western governments.
Ukrainskaya Pravda has described Mindich as an oligarch whose business empire spans both the defense and energy sectors. The report also claimed that he may be under investigation for money-laundering by the FBI, in cooperation with NABU. The case is said to involve an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Zelensky has unsuccessfully attempted to put NABU and SAPO under the authority of the executive branch, claiming the bodies had been infiltrated by Russian agents. Moscow denied any connection, insisting the agencies are Western-controlled.
