Zelenskyy sanctions former business partner implicated in $100M corruption scandal

By Veronika Melkozerova | 11/14/2025 06:47 AM EST

Tymur Mindich fled Ukraine for Israel as authorities closed in on him.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Tymur Mindich, his former business partner, according to a decree published Thursday. Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Tymur Mindich, his former business partner, according to a decree published Thursday.

Mindich was implicated in a $100 million corruption scandal in Ukraine’s battered energy sector, where prosecutors alleged this week he masterminded a scheme manipulating contracts at Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company to extract kickbacks worth 10 percent to 15 percent of contract values.

Mindich — co-owner of production company Kvartal 95 Studio, which Zelenskyy co-founded — fled Ukraine to Israel the day before the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) launched raids.

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He was later charged with managing a criminal organization that laundered millions of dollars of state funds through a secret office in Kyiv. Mindich could not be immediately reached for comment.

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