Mindich's cursed birthday — where and with whom he celebrated — exclusive to UA.NEWS
‘Mindich's tapes’ are one of the hottest topics today. The recordings mention billions of dollars allegedly withdrawn from Energoatom, shadow financial flows through a ‘laundromat’ in central Kyiv, corrupt ministers, and agreements at the highest level. All this further exhausts a society that is already living in a state of constant tension.
According to investigators and insiders, one of the key coordinators of these schemes is Timur Mindich, a very influential but extremely private businessman. He is a co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio, which became the launching pad for Volodymyr Zelensky's political career. It is because of this connection that Mindich has been considered for years to be one of the president's closest associates.
Behind the scenes, he is described as a shadow communicator between various influential groups — someone who can resolve complex issues without unnecessary fuss.
However, our article is not about his career. We will tell you what you will not find in open sources: how Mindich celebrated his birthday and, a few days later, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, where he gathered several dozen guests around him.
UA.NEWS found out who was at the party and how the celebration went in one of Israel's most expensive hotels.
Where and with whom Timur Mindich celebrated his birthday and Sukkot
On 19 September, Mindich turned 46. He decided to celebrate in a private atmosphere — on the Mediterranean coast. According to exclusive information from UA.NEWS sources, the celebration took place at the five-star Dan Accadia hotel in Herzliya (Israel) with his family.
However, six days later, Mindich organised a Sukkot celebration at the same hotel. He invited about 60 guests, rented the most expensive conference room and provided each guest with the highest category of rooms (details below).
Among the guests at the private party were influential businessmen and Mindich's acquaintances. In particular, Igor Chervonenko and his family. Moreover, he was the actual organiser of the holiday and was involved in preparing the event.
As we wrote earlier, Chervonenko is the owner of the Dobryi Den pharmacy chain and the younger brother of former Transport Minister Yevhen Chervonenko. According to our information, he arrived in Israel on 19 September to congratulate Mindich and stayed for the Sukkot celebrations.
There is reason to believe that Mindich may have played a key role in Chervonenko avoiding sanctions in connection with his activities in the pharmaceutical market.
In response to a request from UA.NEWS, in which the editorial office inquired about his ties to Mindich and business affairs in the context of Apteka Dobrogo Dnya, Chervonenko's lawyer, Iryna Kostenko, stated: "None of the accusations... is true, and the universal answer to them is a negative, that is, NO!" — effectively denying both the visit to Israel and any business ties with Mindich.
Who introduced Chervonenko to Mindich
According to our information, they were introduced by Raphael Rutman, a British citizen and one of the most influential Jewish officials in Ukraine.
Rutman has lived in Ukraine since 1993 and is a Chabad rabbi, Shaliach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and executive chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine. He maintains close ties with the Ukrainian Jewish elite and has business interests in pharmaceuticals and construction. He also likely lobbies for the Chervonenko family in the Office of the President.
When Chervonenko's pharmaceutical business ran into problems with law enforcement, it was Rutman, according to our information, who offered Mindich to become a co-owner of his business — and the issue strangely ‘disappeared’ from the agenda.
Who else was at the party?
Gennady Bogolyubov
Ukrainian billionaire Gennady Bogolyubov, co-founder of the Privat Group, was also present at the celebration. He flew to the event without his wife and baby, who remained in Vienna. However, his presence at Mindich's celebration seems strange, to say the least, because, according to our information, Bogolyubov has repeatedly said in private conversations that Mindich is the ‘beneficiary’ of his problems in Ukraine.
Stella Aminova
One of the most notable guests was Russian businesswoman Stella Aminova, founder of the Five Kids children's boutique in Moscow and owner of Dolce & Gabbana stores in Israel.
The Mindich family are official distributors of Dolce & Gabbana in Ukraine (Mindich's wife, Katerina Verber, owns CAMERON GROUP LLC), and, according to our information, Aminova and Mindich have business ties in the luxury fashion industry.
Incidentally, in 2019, Aminova celebrated her anniversary at the estate of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan. Verka Serdyuchka performed at the party.
The Zuckerman brothers were also at the party. One of them, financier Alexander Zuckerman, is involved in the investigation as a possible co-organiser of corruption schemes in the energy sector together with Mindich.
His wife, Adassa Zuckerman, converted to Judaism three years ago (before that she was named Elena). She is the owner of the private clinic DMC, where, as we reported, the wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov received corrupt funds.
The scale of the expenses
Closing virtually the entire hotel for several days is not a cheap pleasure.
According to data from Booking.com:
- a standard room at Dan Accadia costs 16,000 hryvnia per night without breakfast;
- a garden chalet costs more than 24,000 hryvnia per night.
According to our information, Mindich paid for the most expensive rooms for all guests.
The hotel has 209 rooms. Even a partial exclusive rental for five days can cost several hundred thousand dollars or tens of millions of hryvnias.
And that's without taking into account food, alcohol, and ballroom rental.
What is Sukkot
Sukkot is one of the most important and joyful holidays in Judaism. It is also called the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths.
The week-long holiday symbolises the Jewish people's journey through the desert after leaving Egypt. Jews around the world build sukkahs — temporary huts with roofs through which the sky is visible. They have dinner, pray and receive guests there.
It is a very public, family holiday. Its essence is movement, meetings and openness.
In the context of Mindich's religiosity, it is worth mentioning another fact: Igor Kolomoisky was the sandak at the circumcision of his youngest son. In Judaism, this is a spiritual guardian — essentially the equivalent of a godfather. And despite such ties, it was Mindich, according to sources, who was one of those who ‘helped’ send Kolomoisky to prison.
Such are family traditions.
Dan Accadia Hotel: level and prices
Dan Accadia is located in Herzliya Pituach, one of the wealthiest areas in Israel, 20 minutes from Tel Aviv. It is a luxury complex on the beach, surrounded by palm trees, close to the business district and marina.
The hotel features:
- garden chalets with private terraces;
- executive suites and presidential apartments (prices available on request);
- a club lounge for VIP guests.
The hotel has five halls, including the main ballroom with an area of 2,466 m², which can accommodate up to:
- 850 guests for cocktails;
- 610 guests for a banquet.
The cost of renting such halls is individual. Therefore, it can be assumed that Mindich's celebration was not a cheap affair.
Dan Accadia has:
- Jah Spa (50-minute massage — $130–140),
- an outdoor swimming pool,
- a gym,
- 6 tennis courts.
The prices in the restaurants are reasonable:
sea bream fillet — 136 shekels (~1750 UAH),
chicken steak — 92 shekels (~1184 UAH),
Caribbean cocktail — 55 shekels (~708 UAH).
The average bill is 200 shekels (~2574 UAH).
It's easy to imagine how much a party for 60 guests would cost.
Herzliya: ‘the Israel Beverly Hills’
Herzliya is one of the most prestigious areas in Israel, known for its millionaire villas, diplomatic residences, and the offices of Apple, Microsoft, and Google. It is a ‘safe haven’ for wealthy businesspeople, including Ukrainians.
Gali Tachelet Street, home to the country's most expensive properties, is located on the coast. Dan Accadia is also located there.
Celebrating Mindich's birthday here is a logical choice, especially considering the level of privacy he has always valued.
While Ukraine is at war, society expects honesty and adequacy from everyone involved in power and major decisions. But it seems that these expectations are once again in vain.
