Corruption investigation reveals link between defense company Fire Point, Zelensky's associate Mindich
As the ongoing large-scale corruption scandal is rocking Ukraine, arrest hearings for suspects keep revealing new details of what investigators say is a $100-million money laundering scheme.
A hearing on Nov. 13 uncovered startling connections to Ukraine’s star missile and drone maker, Fire Point, confirming in part an earlier report by the Kyiv Independent.
The investigation by the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine, or NABU, alleges that Timur Mindich, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky, led a group getting kickbacks from energy construction and procurement, including building defenses for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and laundering the proceeds. Several other figures in the Zelensky government are implicated.
While the case focuses on energy, the name Fire Point has come up. Fire Point is a private defense contractor that emerged in 2023 and makes the FP-1 long-range strike drone and the “Flamingo” cruise missile. The Kyiv Independent reported in August that Fire Point was the subject of an investigation into defense corruption that in part explored its connections to Mindich, who was alleged to be its unofficial beneficiary. Fire Point denied the connection to Mindich.
Ihor Fursenko, one of the key members of the group allegedly laundering money from the scheme, was formally employed at Fire Point to save him from mobilization and allow him to travel outside of Ukraine, according to a snippet of dialogue released in the trial.
In the tape, Fursenko is speaking with Oleksandr Tsukerman, another charged businessman in the case who Zelensky subsequently sanctioned. The two are discussing that Fursenko had recently got a formal position at Fire Point.
In the exchange, Tsukerman, who is Fursenko's superior, is clarifying to Fursenko the details of his formal employment at Fire Point. When Fursenko mentions taxes related to the employment, Tsukerman says that the company will be paying the taxes for him.
In a different dialogue, Fursenko discusses the possibility of getting "a badge" from Fire Point, identifying him as a "senior specialist."
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutor said that according to their data, Fursenko had been employed as an administrator at Fire Point since March 19, 2025.
“We also note the existence of (Fursenko’s) international passport and that in the period from January 2018 through Aug. 22, 2025, he traveled abroad 26 times, including during martial law.”
Under martial law, Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 are barred from leaving the country, with few exceptions. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry allocates special privileges to preferred defense contractors during war time, including exemptions for a certain number of male employees from both mobilization and travel restrictions.
