Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday imposed sanctions on businessmen Oleksandr Tsukerman, and Timur Mindich, a long-time associate, who now stands accused of orchestrating one of the country’s most significant corruption schemes in recent years.
According to a presidential decree published the same day, the sanctions include freezing Mindich’s assets, along with those of another businessman implicated in the case. The measures target individuals believed to be involved in large-scale corruption within Ukraine’s energy sector.
Ukrainian prosecutors on Tuesday charged the 46-year-old Mindich with engineering a scheme that embezzled $100 million, marking the latest development in a sprawling investigation into alleged financial abuses in the energy industry, an industry already strained by relentless Russian attacks on the nation’s power infrastructure.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said Mindich “directed the accumulation, distribution, and laundering of funds obtained through criminal schemes in Ukraine’s energy sector.”
Mindich reportedly left Ukraine shortly before the scandal surfaced. He is also suspected of exerting improper influence over senior officials, including former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who now serves as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
The businessman, who is widely described as a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky, left Ukraine just hours before the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) raided his residence and disclosed details of an embezzlement investigation in the energy sector in which he is listed as a suspect.
According to local media reports, investigators found lavish furnishings in his apartment, including a gold-plated toilet. The same reports allege that the apartment had previously been the site of NABU surveillance operations, though no official confirmation has been issued regarding whom the agency was monitoring.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced Wednesday that the Justice and Energy ministers had tendered their resignations as the scandal widened, just hours after President Zelensky declared that their continued presence in the government had become untenable.
“The two ministers submitted their resignations in accordance with the law,” Svyrydenko said in a statement on social media.
Anti-corruption prosecutors have accused Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko of receiving “personal benefits” linked to a $100 million bribery operation in the energy sector, which he oversaw until July 2025.
Energy Minister Svitlana Hrenchuk, meanwhile, insisted that she had broken no laws.
Ukraine’s long-standing struggle to eliminate entrenched corruption remains a key obstacle as the country continues its campaign for European Union membership.
President Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to root out graft at all levels of government, particularly following persistent allegations of bribery and irregularities in military procurement.
The latest investigation comes as Ukrainian energy infrastructure suffers devastating damage from intensified Russian strikes, compounding the challenges facing the government.
Mindich's Golden Toilet found in his flat
Follow the latest news on Google News
