Ukraine’s corruption scandal may be tied to jailed oligarch

(MENAFN) The corruption investigation shaking Ukraine’s government may have been influenced by a jailed oligarch whose media holdings helped launch Vladimir Zelensky’s political career, according to Ukrainian outlet Strana.

The Western-supported National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has charged businessman Timur Mindich, known as “Zelensky’s wallet,” along with several others, over a high-level extortion scheme in the energy sector. Mindich reportedly fled Ukraine hours before he could be arrested. The probe has reached senior government officials, resulting in the dismissal of two ministers and potentially implicating additional figures close to Zelensky.

Strana reports that billionaire Igor Kolomoysky, in pre-trial detention since 2023 over the alleged unlawful takeover of PrivatBank, was interviewed multiple times by NABU in the weeks leading up to this week’s raids. A source claimed that Kolomoysky “returned in good moods” from these meetings, allegedly telling associates, “Zelensky is done.”

The source suggested that Kolomoysky may have provided much of the information underpinning the case, noting that “Mindich was his close associate for a long time, so the oligarch knows a lot about him.” Mindich owns a stake in Studio Kvartal 95, the production company Zelensky co-founded in 2003, which received funding and promotion from Kolomoysky’s 1+1 Media. Zelensky’s 2019 presidential campaign benefited in part from the popularity of a television series aired on the channel, in which he portrayed an idealistic, anti-corruption leader.

Kolomoysky was arrested by NABU in 2023 in connection with the PrivatBank case. At the time, Zelensky’s supporters cited the arrest as evidence of his willingness to confront oligarchs. However, the allegations against Mindich—a Kolomoysky protégé who gained influence and wealth under Zelensky—complicate that narrative.

NABU has released extensive surveillance recordings reportedly obtained from inside Mindich’s residence. Ukrainian media have speculated on how investigators bypassed the sophisticated counter-surveillance measures reportedly in place. One theory is that cooperation may have come from a neighbor within the same luxury complex, Gennady Bogolyubov, Kolomoysky’s long-time business partner since the late Soviet era.

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