Ukraine Corruption Probe Edges Closer to Zelensky

 

“KYIV, Ukraine -- It was just past 2 a.m. when Tymur Mindich crossed the border into Poland last week -- a few hours before detectives descended on his Ukrainian home as part of an investigation into high-level corruption that has convulsed the war-torn country.

 

Some 70 residences across Ukraine were raided in the operation as part of the criminal investigation in which five people were detained. Mindich, a former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky and one of those officially accused, remains at large outside Ukraine.

 

"Was he warned?" Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the independent law-enforcement agency that conducted the operation, said in a video interview with Ukrainian media. "This must be investigated."

 

Mindich couldn't be reached for comment.

 

The corruption allegations have angered Ukrainians enduring wartime hardships, and now pose the clearest threat to Zelensky's leadership since Russia's attempt to take Kyiv in early 2022.

 

The investigation has reached higher in the government -- and closer to Zelensky -- than any other since he took office.

 

Anticorruption activists say the NABU operation is part of a generational struggle to dismantle the Ukrainian culture of kleptocracy that dates back to the Soviet era. Though Zelensky rose to power on promises to end endemic corruption and graft, activists question whether he is still committed to the idea.

 

According to NABU investigators, Mindich, who co-founded a production company with Zelensky before he became president, was the leader of a "criminal organization" that siphoned off $100 million through Ukraine's state nuclear-energy company, Energoatom.

 

He has been officially accused of creating and leading a criminal organization operating in the energy sector and of money laundering.

 

According to the investigators, in collaboration with employees of Energoatom, Mindich and others pressured contractors with the company to pay 10-15% of the value of the contracts in kickbacks. Those who refused risked having their contracts canceled, investigators allege.

 

Energoatom's supervisory board said it was undertaking an evaluation of the company's procedures. It has said it takes the allegations against its employees seriously and is committed to ensuring full transparency and accountability.

 

Zelensky wasn't named in the corruption probe and hasn't been accused of wrongdoing. Zelensky's office didn't respond to a request for comment.

 

As investigators have made details about the investigation public -- like Mindich's escape and audio recordings of suspects discussing how best to carry large volumes of cash -- Ukrainians have grown furious.

 

Zelensky has tried to make a forceful stand in response to the allegations. He demanded the resignations of two cabinet ministers, one of whom was allegedly part of the Energoatom kickback scheme. He also imposed sanctions on Mindich and another businessman implicated in the investigation.

 

Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder of the nongovernmental Anticorruption Action Center, said Zelensky needs to take decisive action now.

 

As Zelensky's term has gone on, questions have mounted over how dedicated the president remains to rooting out corruption.

 

This year, as the NABU investigation into corruption at Energoatom picked up steam, officials from the agency said they faced what they described as efforts to impede their work.

 

In July, a detective working on the investigation, Ruslan Magomedrasulov, was detained by the Security Services of Ukraine, known as the SBU, an agency whose director is appointed by Zelensky.

 

He remains in pretrial detention on charges that he was working with Russia. His father was also arrested.

 

Magomedrasulov's lawyer, Olena Scherban, said the allegations against him were fabricated and were designed to interfere not only with the Energoatom investigation but also to find out what information NABU had, and deter the agency from pursuing cases against the country's most powerful.

 

The day after Magomedrasulov's detention, Parliament passed a bill that stripped NABU and a sister agency of independence, effectively giving the president a check on their activities. Zelensky signed the bill the day it was passed, but quickly reversed course after nationwide public protests erupted.

 

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Anger Over Graft Helped Fuel Revolution in 2014

 

Corruption has been one of the most explosive political issues in Ukraine since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Anger at self-dealing in the government helped fuel a revolution in 2014, which ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovych. His grand personal residence, which included a menagerie of exotic animals and a golden toilet, was turned into a Museum of Corruption, open to the public.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation helped set up the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine in the aftermath of the revolution.

 

When Volodymyr Zelensky ran for the presidency in 2019, he made cracking down on corruption one of his signature platforms. Early in his tenure, he recorded videos encouraging citizens to report any foul play to NABU, which operates largely outside the president's control. He also established a court for high-level cases, and one of his associates, Ihor Kolomoisky, is in pretrial detention for alleged financial fraud. He has denied wrongdoing.” [1]

 

Americans are still running Ukrainian anti-corruption shops. This is a nation building operation again. It ends badly always. Just look at Vietnam and Afghanistan.

 

1. World News: Ukraine Corruption Probe Edges Closer to Zelensky. Lovett, Ian; Nikolaienko, Nikita.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 19 Nov 2025: A8.