Timur Mindich sues Zelensky and the National Security Council
A corruption scandal that has sent shockwaves through Ukraine's political and business elite has entered a new legal phase. According to an official statement from the country's Cassation Administrative Court, a lawsuit filed by prominent businessman Timur Mindich against the state leadership has been officially accepted for proceedings. A special judicial panel to thoroughly review this high-profile case was formed on May 14 of this year.
Notably, the lawsuit names Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), and the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture as defendants.
In an exclusive interview with 'Ukrainskaya Pravda', Timur Mindich categorically denied all accusations against him, stating that he considers himself completely innocent: “I am being accused of things I have never done in my life and have nothing to do with”, the businessman emphasized.
The billion-hryvnia crisis surrounding 'Energoatom'
Timur Mindich is seen as one of the main figures in a massive corruption scandal involving Ukraine's largest state-owned enterprise in the nuclear energy sector — “Energoatom” .
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office in November 2025 announced that they had uncovered a secret criminal scheme within this strategic company. According to investigative agencies, the company's management and intermediaries demanded large bribes (kickbacks) amounting to 10–15 percent of the total contract sum from partner contractors.
Timur Mindich's name emerged alongside several high-ranking officials in this criminal case. According to judicial authorities, the businessman may have illegally influenced the decision-making of high-level figures in the energy sector.
Raids and an escape hours before
Anti-corruption services launched operational actions regarding this case, conducting extensive searches of the residences of Mindich and German Galushenko, who served as Minister of Justice at the time. However, reports indicate that the businessman managed to leave Ukraine just hours before law enforcement appeared at his home.
Following this major scandal and the investigation's findings, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine held an emergency meeting and decided to impose strict economic and political sanctions against Timur Mindich, an Israeli citizen, and his partner, businessman Alexander Sukerman. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a special decree on November 13 of last year, officially bringing these restrictions into force.
List of rights and assets stripped from Mindich
As part of the harsh sanctions package imposed, Timur Mindich was stripped of all the following:
All state awards and titles were revoked;
All bank accounts and financial assets in Ukraine were frozen;
Trade operations and the transfer of personal capital abroad were prohibited;
The right to participate in state privatization processes was revoked;
The use of Ukrainian radio frequencies, participation in state and defense procurement, and the purchase of new land plots were completely banned.
Currently attempting to restore his rights from abroad, the businessman's lawsuit against the presidential decree is expected to be another major test for the Ukrainian court.
Do you think the businessman who fled abroad has a chance of winning against the President and the National Security Council in the Supreme Court of Ukraine?
