Summary: A 15-month NABU investigation alleges about £76m was skimmed from Ukraine's energy sector, based on roughly 1,000 hours of wiretaps. Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Zelensky, is accused of orchestrating the scheme; detectives reportedly found a gold toilet at his residence. Several ministers have resigned, and critics demand that Andriy Yermak be removed amid claims he obstructed anti-corruption efforts. The scandal has heightened public outrage and raised concerns among Western donors about Kyiv's governance.
Golden Toilet Scandal Escalates: Calls Grow for Zelensky to Remove Chief of Staff
Summary: A 15-month NABU investigation alleges about £76m was skimmed from Ukraine's energy sector, based on roughly 1,000 hours of wiretaps. Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Zelensky, is accused of orchestrating the scheme; detectives reportedly found a gold toilet at his residence. Several ministers have resigned, and critics demand that Andriy Yermak be removed amid claims he obstructed anti-corruption efforts. The scandal has heightened public outrage and raised concerns among Western donors about Kyiv's governance.
09:50 PM, 11/19/2025Politics
President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing intensifying pressure to dismiss his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, after a major anti-corruption probe exposed an alleged network that siphoned tens of millions from Ukraine's energy sector.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) says roughly £76m was skimmed from the energy sector. The agency's 15-month investigation into the state nuclear operator Energoatom relies on about 1,000 hours of wiretapped conversations and points to Timur Mindich, a close business partner of Mr Zelensky, as a central figure. Investigators say Mindich fled the country before a search of his home, where detectives reported finding a gold toilet bowl—an image that has fuelled public outrage.
Allegations and resignations. Several senior officials, including the former energy minister (now justice minister) and the energy minister, resigned after the probe became public, each denying wrongdoing. NABU has accused a network of pressuring contractors to pay kickbacks of up to 15% to secure Energoatom contracts; prosecutors say illicit funds were laundered through shell companies and channelled to Mindich and associates.
Questions around Mr Yermak. Andriy Yermak has been accused by critics of obstructing anti-corruption bodies and centralising authority during the war, though investigators have not publicly alleged he personally profited from the Energoatom scheme. Anonymous officials have warned the government could face collapse unless Yermak is removed, while some lawmakers say wiretaps suggest a senior aide could be implicated. NABU's director has declined to confirm whether Yermak appears on the recordings; Yermak denies any involvement.
Political fallout and public anger. The revelations have sparked widespread anger in a country already suffering frequent power cuts and the collapse of front-line towns such as Pokrovsk. Opposition figures and former officials have called for cabinet resignations, arguing the scandal undermines public trust at a moment when Kyiv must demonstrate to Western partners that it can manage large sums of international aid responsibly.
"To the smell of wartime smoke that has become all too familiar to Ukrainians, a heavy stench of rotting green mould has now been added," said former president Petro Poroshenko, calling for the cabinet to step down.
Context and next steps. Critics of Yermak say the scandal provides an opening to remove an aide they view as exerting outsized influence over the presidency. For the government, the immediate challenge is twofold: address public outrage and preserve the confidence of international donors while investigators continue to examine wiretaps and financial trails.