Former Zelenskyy associate tied to $100M fraud

Timur Mindych, once a business partner of Zelensky, has been identified by Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs as the mastermind of a scheme involving top officials and Ukraine's state-owned nuclear energy company. Prior to this scandal, some feared Mindych's growing influence over lucrative Ukrainian industries, to which he had access due to his relationship with Zelensky.

Mindych reportedly exerted control over loyalists, who then pressured contractors at Ukraine's state-owned nuclear energy company, Energoatom, and demanded bribes to overcome bureaucratic hurdles. The bribes reportedly reached up to 15%.

Despite his history with Mindich, Zelensky was not included in the investigation. Following the revelations of the anti-corruption investigation, the Ukrainian president also imposed sanctions on his former business partner.

On November 11, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) stated that a group of individuals, including Mindich, "devised a major corruption scheme to gain control of key state-owned enterprises, including the country's nuclear agency," according to the Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian news outlet said sources confirmed that law enforcement searched properties linked to Mindich on November 10, but he was tipped off and fled.

Mindich remains at large, according to Politico. He fled to Israel when the scheme was uncovered and law enforcement cracked down on him.

"Any effective actions against corruption are very needed. The inevitability of punishment is necessary," Zelenskyy said in an evening address, according to the Kyiv Independent.