Mindich at center of fresh leaks: What do they reveal about Zelensky’s fugitive business partner?
A Ukrainian media outlet has published what it claims to be transcripts from surveillance recordings of Timur Mindich, businessman and longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky who is accused of orchestrating a major corruption scheme.
Mindich, who fled Ukraine for Israel last November shortly before being indicted and is now contesting an extradition request, was wiretapped by Western backed anti-corruption bodies. Some of the recordings, said to capture conversations at a luxury Kiev apartment, have been used as evidence in the case against him and his associates.
On Tuesday, Ukrainskaya Pravda (UP) released an hour-long video in which a journalist reads what was described as partial transcripts of the ‘Mindich tapes’. The outlet did not provide the original audio or clarify how the material was obtained, but said it was the first installment in a planned series.
Who is Timur Mindich?
Originally a subordinate within the orbit of Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoysky, whose media empire offered Zelensky opportunities as a comedian and producer, Mindich reportedly emerged as an independent power broker during Zelensky’s presidency, which extended beyond constitutional limits under martial law.
Mindich is the main suspect in an investigation conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) into an extortion scheme in the state-owned atomic energy company Energoatom, that reportedly caused about $100 million in losses.
He has also been reported to be the chief beneficiary of Firepoint, a former casting company founded in 2022 that later claimed about $1 billion in sales of kamikaze drones and long-range missiles, although he has described the alleged connection as “mythical” and slanderous.
Remarks by Kolomoysky that Mindich lacked the brains to run a serious criminal operation fueled suspicions that he was merely a patsy for the real mastermind.
What’s on the tapes?
Three separate conversations that Mindich allegedly held last year are described. One was with Sergey Shefir, a business partner of Zelensky and his first chief of staff. Another was with Rustem Umerov, who was defense minister at the time of the recording. A third was with a woman identified as Natalia, who reportedly oversaw a luxury construction project for Mindich and Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s second chief of staff.
According to transcripts cited by UP, Mindich and Shefir discussed a separate bribery case of former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov, who has since been embroiled in the Energoatom scandal. They reportedly spoke about raising funds for Chernyshov’s $2.7 million bail in coordination with “Andrey” and “Smirnov” – said by the outlet to be Andrey Yermak and one of his aides.
Shefir also reportedly said he was happy to be free of media scrutiny after leaving office, adding that he no longer had to hide visits to Mindich. He further urged Mindich to give an interview denying allegations that he was profiting from his government connections.
The recording involving Natalia concerns a residential development that the outlet described as a controversial project allegedly linked to Zelensky, Yermak, Mindich, and Chernyshov. In the conversation, Mindich reportedly laments having to mothball construction because of unwanted attention following Chernyshov’s downfall.
Mindich’s purported conversation with Umerov appears to suggest that the businessman was effectively running Firepoint. He allegedly pressed Umerov for additional funding, discussed an investment proposal from an UAE investor, and how shareholders could receive $300 million in cash, and claimed the company could undercut an unnamed American rival if given sufficient resources.
Mindich also reportedly urged Umerov to approve a shipment of body armor supplied by his firm that the ministry had refused to certify. That exchange was later cited in an indictment leaked to the press in November.
What new crimes do the tapes reveal?
None, by UP’s own account.
The outlet argued, however, that publishing the records was in the public interest because they appeared to confirm close ties between Mindich and senior government officials, including Zelensky and people in his inner circle.
A “Vova” – a familiar form of Zelensky’s first name – is mentioned several times in the recordings.
Are the transcripts real?
Ukrainskaya Pravda is considered a reputable major publication known for sources within law enforcement.
Leaks to the media are a longstanding tool of political infighting in Ukraine, as in many other countries. Whether the material came from investigators or from Mindich’s defense team, which has legal access to evidence in the case, remains unclear.
However, the outlet’s report is broadly critical of Mindich and his government associates.
How has the Ukrainian government reacted?
With silence.
Mindich declined to comment to UP, while the office of Rustem Umerov, who now heads the National Security and Defense Council, said it does not comment on fragmentary recordings of questionable authenticity.
Following the publication, an opposition lawmaker called on Umerov to testify before a parliamentary committee in mid-May.
Is the timing of the Mindich tape leak significant?
Some Ukrainian outlets, such as Strana.ua, have suggested the leak came after the EU approved disbursement of a €90 billion ($105 billion) assistance package intended to bankroll Kiev. The funding lifeline reportedly helps avert a likely Ukrainian government shutdown.
The speculation is that Zelensky is being pressured to appoint EU-approved candidates to lead other law enforcement agencies that do not enjoy the same institutional independence as NABU and SAPO.
Last year, as investigators were getting close to charging Chernyshov, Zelensky had parliament approve a reform placing the anti-corruption bodies under the authority of the Prosecutor General’s office, a post he can appoint under presidential powers.
Zelensky later reversed the changes after mass protests broke out across the country, critical coverage appeared in mainstream media, and Kiev’s Western backers reportedly threatened to freeze all funding.
Notably, Ukrainskaya Pravda and Strana.ua are both mentioned in the leaked transcripts, with Mindich and Shefir reportedly speaking of them approvingly as news sources.
