Ex-Zelenskyy Associate Accused as Alleged Architect of $100M Energoatom Corruption Scheme

KYIV — Former Zelenskyy Associate Named in Major Nuclear Corruption Probe

Tymur Mindich, a one-time business partner and close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has been identified by Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies as the alleged mastermind of a roughly $100 million embezzlement and kickback network tied to the state nuclear operator, Energoatom.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said a 15-month investigation produced about 1,000 hours of wiretaps and additional documentary and financial evidence that point to a coordinated scheme. Investigators allege contractors were pressured to pay kickbacks of up to 15 percent to bypass bureaucratic hurdles and secure contracts with Energoatom.

Authorities say the illicit proceeds were siphoned through shell companies, laundered and routed to Mindich and his associates. Mindich has left Ukraine and could be tried in absentia; the probe has already prompted the resignation of two senior government ministers and intensified scrutiny of political networks around the presidency.

Background and Links

Mindich, 46, first gained public attention as a figure in Ukraine's entertainment industry and as a co-owner of Kvartal 95, the production company tied to Zelenskyy’s comedy troupe. After Zelenskyy’s 2019 election, Mindich’s commercial footprint expanded into agribusiness, banking and energy, and he is also connected to figures who have faced their own corruption allegations.

Anti-corruption campaigners say Mindich’s rise was aided by close personal ties to Zelenskyy and members of his inner circle, though investigators emphasize the probe does not accuse the president of wrongdoing.

“What we were hearing only as rumors now has some evidence,” said Tetiana Shevchuk of the Anti-Corruption Action Center. “For a long time we have heard that Tymur Mindich is a shadow controller of the energy sector.”

Scope of the Allegations

Investigators allege a network of loyalists pressured Energoatom contractors into paying kickbacks as high as 15 percent. Evidence collected by NABU and SAPO includes recorded conversations, financial trails and corporate documents that prosecutors say will form the core of any future trials.

NABU is also probing possible ties between Mindich and Fire Point, a leading domestic drone maker whose long-range systems have been used in operations against Russian targets. Fire Point has denied any business relationship with Mindich to date.

The case has raised broad public concern because it involves strategic energy infrastructure during wartime, when reliable power supplies are vital for civilians and the military. Ukrainian authorities say they will pursue the case vigorously; with Mindich abroad and officials resigning, attention has turned to how shadow intermediaries acquired influence within critical sectors.