Operation "Midas": Mindich and Umerov discussed Svyrydenko's candidacy for the post of prime minister
Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak has released new recordings of conversations between sanctioned businessman Timur Mindich and former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. In the recordings, the two men repeatedly discussed appointing the right people to ministerial and ambassadorial posts and assessed the current government.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak spoke about this on his YouTube channel.
He obtained recordings dated July 8, 2025. In a phone conversation with Umerov, Timur Mindich discussed who would be the best choice for the new defense minister from among the candidates, as well as who should become Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S.
Then-Defense Minister Umerov noted that he had apparently agreed on one of the candidates with President Zelenskyy, since it had to be someone who would attend meetings with “Grandpa”—obviously referring to U.S. President Donald Trump—and respond to requests from associates.
In the same conversation, Mindich assessed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and her team. The businessman said that she is smart, but her team will not be able to carry out the necessary tasks.
U: — It offends me that no one will be handling the economy.
M: — Well, f*ck it.
We reported that on July 8, 2025, then-Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and sanctioned businessman Timur Mindich discussed personnel issues and political influence in the country. Specifically, they discussed who would become the new defense minister and what new position then-Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal would assume.
Recall that six months ago, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office reported the exposure of large-scale embezzlement in the energy sector following Operation “Midas.” The case was dubbed “Mindichgate” because audio recordings from wiretaps in the apartment of the organizer of this corruption scheme—Timur Mindich, a businessman and close friend of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—were made public.
This new disclosure by UP could significantly expand the circle of suspects and the embezzlement schemes linked to them. In particular, the recorded conversations may involve the former head of the Ministry of Defense and current Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov.
Timur Mindich remains abroad, while in Kyiv, the business of his wife, Kateryna Verber—founder of Kameron, a company operating offline and online stores that are official distributors of the Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, and Balmain brands—continues to operate. There is also a Russian connection here: Kateryna Verber is the daughter of the recently deceased fashion director of Moscow’s TSUM, Alla Verber.
Information has also emerged regarding possible “shady dealings” involving Timur Mindich and the ultimate beneficiaries of one of Ukraine’s largest pharmaceutical groups, Farmastor LLC. The company is the parent holding company (founder) of a dozen other enterprises with very substantial turnover: “Apteka Dobrogo Dnya” LLC, “Zirka Farmatsevtiki” LLC, and others. The key owner is Ihor Chervonenko, whose brother, Yevhen Chervonenko, has been included on the National Security and Defense Council’s sanctions lists. The brothers had the opportunity to meet with Mindich and, according to some reports, secured a reduction in law enforcement pressure on their business in exchange for transferring a stake in their pharmaceutical business.
