$100 Million Embezzlement Scandal Puts Zelensky in a Tight Spot
In the latest chapter of Ukraine’s sweeping corruption scandals, judicial authorities have accused a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky of embezzlement.
As the government’s anti-corruption campaign intensifies in the war-torn country, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office charged businessman Tymur Mindych with orchestrating a scheme that led to the embezzlement of $100 million.
While Ukraine’s power infrastructure faces heavy attacks and Russian forces advance on key fronts, corruption scandals in Kyiv have raised doubts among allies—particularly in Washington, where officials increasingly see Ukraine’s victory as unlikely and complain about the burden of continued military support.
Mindych owns a stake in the media company “Kvartal 95,” founded by Zelensky, who was a popular comedian before running for president.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said that “Mindych managed the accumulation, distribution, and laundering of funds obtained through criminal means in Ukraine’s energy sector.”
During a pretrial hearing for another man accused of involvement in the same scheme, prosecutors added that the suspect had “used his friendly relations with the President of Ukraine” in his criminal activity.
Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who served as Energy Minister for four years, was also accused of receiving “personal benefits” from Mindych.
This development came after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced on Monday that it had uncovered a corruption scheme in the energy sector involving $100 million in laundered funds. It reported that five individuals had been arrested and seven others formally charged.
Following a 15-month investigation, NABU carried out large-scale raids in the energy sector, which has been under constant attack since the start of Russia’s “special military operation” in February 2022.
Oleksandr Abakumov, head of the investigation team at the Anti-Corruption Bureau, told Ukrainian state television that Tymur Mindych had left the country shortly before the raids began.
The embezzlement charges in the energy sector—combined with ongoing Russian attacks and widespread power outages—have fueled public outrage.
Eradicating deep-rooted corruption remains one of the main requirements for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. President Zelensky faced harsh criticism from Ukrainians and EU officials last summer after attempting to bring the two independent anti-corruption agencies, NABU and SAPO, under government control.
