Mindich speaks to Ukrainian media for first time since fleeing country, denies guilt, claims no contact with Zelensky or Yermak
Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky and suspect in a major corruption investigation, fled Ukraine in November, days before being charged with bribery, abuse of office, and illicit enrichment.
Ukrainska Pravda media outlet located Mindich in Israel and published an interview with him on Dec. 26 in which he addressed allegations connecting him to a sweeping corruption probe involving the state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom.
The investigation has developed into one of Ukraine's largest political scandals in recent years.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) cited Mindich, then co-owner of Kvartal 95, the television studio started by Zelensky, as the ringleader. Mindich was tipped off and left the country prior to being charged.
Other heavyweights implicated included former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who served as energy minister earlier this year, and Rustem Umerov, former defense minister and current secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Mindich's detention in absentia on Dec. 1 over his alleged role in the $100 million corruption scheme.
In the interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Mindich said he could not comment on the legal proceedings, as the case is ongoing and he has been instructed by his lawyers not to comment.
He expressed frustration with media coverage of the investigation, saying reports have portrayed him as the central figure in the alleged scheme. According to Mindich, the media has portrayed him as an "extremist" and "guilty."
He denied fleeing the country to evade investigators, saying his departure had been planned in advance.
When asked about his relationship with Zelensky, Mindich said it had been a long time since he last communicated with the president. He also denied close ties with Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's former chief of staff, who recently resigned from his post, allegedly as part of the same probe.
Mindich has previously called Yermak his close friend.
Mindich also denied connections to Fire Point, a Ukrainian defense company mired in controversy. The firm, which did not exist prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, became a large recipient of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's drone budget, including funding backed by Western allies such as Denmark and Germany.
In August, the Kyiv Independent reported on the Anti-Corruption Bureau's investigation into Fire Point. The bureau was tracing the firm's ultimate ownership to Mindich, three sources told the Kyiv Independent.
