Mindich's People: Recordings with Shefir and Umerov, and Secret Business Partner Igor Chervonenko
29 April 2026 19:00Six months ago, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the exposure of large-scale embezzlement in the energy sector following the results of Operation “Midas.”
The case was also dubbed “Mindichgate,” as 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.
Six months later, the publication “Ukrainska Pravda” released excerpts from a new series of recorded conversations that could significantly expand the circle of suspects in this case and partially answer the question: Did President Zelenskyy know about the existence of the largest corruption scheme in Ukrainian history?
For more details on the new “Mindichgate” revelations, as well as Timur Mindich’s other business partnerships that have so far gone unnoticed by the media, see the UA.News review.
Why the new “Mindichgate” series is important
The corruption scheme exposed by NABU and SAPO allowed top corrupt officials to receive $100 million in kickbacks through the state-owned company Energoatom. Further investigation revealed that the corruption network may have extended to other strategic sectors, including defense.
More than 10 suspects were named, including Energoatom managers, back-office financiers through whom the stolen funds passed, and top government officials, such as former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. Former Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak was also implicated in the case.
Businessman Timur Mindich, who was referred to as “Carlson” in the recordings, and his financier Oleksandr Tsukerman (“Sugarman”) managed to flee to Israel. However, they were arrested in absentia and placed on the wanted list, and the Office of the Prosecutor General sent a request to Israel for the suspects’ extradition to Ukraine.
A new series of recorded conversations, released by UP journalist Mykhailo Tkach, appears to significantly expand the circle of suspects and the embezzlement schemes linked to them. In particular, the former Defense Minister and current Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, may be mentioned in the recorded conversations.
“The number of people who may have obtained the investigation materials appears to have grown so large that in recent days, individual fragments have begun leaking online. Transcripts of these conversations provide insight into how certain figures are connected, what they influence, what issues concerning the country’s vital functions they are concerned with, and most importantly, why Operation Midas is not just about Mindich and Zuckerman. “There are many influential figures connected to power—or, more precisely, to the abuse of it,” Mykhailo Tkach commented on the transcript.
According to UP, the conversations were recorded at Timur Mindich’s apartment in the summer of 2025. The NABU has not yet commented on the published materials.
Bail for Chernyshov and the “Dynasty” Cooperative
One excerpt from the transcript of a possible conversation between Timur Mindich and former presidential aide Serhiy Shefir discusses complications regarding the posting of bail for former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. The fact is that the court set bail for him at 120 million hryvnias, but providing such funds legally was problematic. However, the bail was paid in installments on different days. Later, journalists discovered that the largest portion of the funds (66 million hryvnias) was paid through a company specializing in the wholesale trade of auto parts. Although the company itself knew nothing about paying bail for a high-ranking government official.
The UP publication speculates that Timur Mindich may have been concerned that Chernyshov would not end up in pretrial detention, as he is linked to the construction of estates in the so-called “Dynasty” cooperative. It is noted that the construction of the estates took place in 2022 and 2023–2024 and was scheduled to be completed in 2025. According to the investigation materials, Chernyshov may have continued to be involved in the construction even after receiving the first formal notification of suspicion from NABU and the SAPO in June of last year.
The published excerpts from the transcript discuss the progress of construction, cost estimates, and also mention the names of the owners, specifically “Andriy” and “Vova.”
Based on these newly documented conversations, the publication raises several important questions:
“Are we really talking about the homes of President Zelenskyy and Andriy Yermak, who, it seems, could have become neighbors of Chernyshov and Mindich? Why did they decide to call this cooperative ‘Dynasty’? Where did Timur Mindich get the funds to build these estates, and could they have come from the Ukrainian energy sector—the embezzlement of which Timur Mindich is suspected of, among other things—or the defense sector?”
Umerov and the “Fire Point” Contracts
The new transcripts also record a probable conversation between Timur Mindich and Rustem Umerov, who at the time headed the Ministry of Defense. In the recordings, they discuss the possible appointment of Umerov as ambassador to the U.S., and of then-Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as defense minister.
In the recordings, Mindich complained to Umerov about the lack of state funding for the “Fire Point” company, specifically regarding the FP-1, FP-5, and FP-7 long-range weapon systems. He also gave “instructions” regarding the sale of a stake in “Fire Point” to investors.
“As the conversation indicates, the sale of a 33% stake in the company for 600 million is being discussed, of which 300 million the investor is ready to invest in the company’s development, and 300 million is a cash-out—that is, money that will go directly to the shareholders, among whom Timur Mindich may be included,” Mykhailo Tkach commented on the transcript.
As numerous journalistic investigations have revealed, Timur Mindich may be one of the beneficiaries of this arms manufacturer.
Mindich himself has not yet publicly commented on the newly released transcripts. The press service of the National Security and Defense Council stated that they do not comment on text fragments whose authenticity has not been confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Verkhovna Rada has reacted to these recordings. Oleksiy Honcharenko, head of the parliamentary Temporary Investigation Commission (TIC), summoned former presidential adviser Serhiy Shefir and NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov to a commission meeting on May 13 to testify in the “Midas” case.
Another likely business partner of Mindich is Ihor Chervonenko
Ukrainian media are also gradually identifying the circle of individuals who did business with Timur Mindich but did not publicly disclose it. In particular, Mindich was found to have another significant active partner—Igor Chervonenko, the owner of the “Apteka Dobrogo Dnya” pharmacy chain.
As UA.News has learned from its own sources, Mindich owns a stake in Chervonenko’s pharmaceutical business, bringing together one of the country’s most influential “shadow” businessmen and a key player in the highly regulated pharmaceutical market.
The partnership likely extends beyond business: sources claim that Igor Chervonenko, who is the ultimate beneficiary of one of the largest pharmacy chains (and the younger brother of former Minister Yevhen Chervonenko), visited Israel on September 19, 2025, to personally wish Mindich a happy birthday.
According to insider sources, Timur Mindich did not enter Chervonenko’s pharmaceutical business by chance. He appeared at a difficult moment when Igor Chervonenko’s brother, Yevhen, needed help resolving a problem. Specifically, to stop law enforcement pressure on the business and remove it from sanctions lists.
The influential Rabbi Raphael Rutman allegedly acted as an intermediary in this “deal,” bringing the Chervonenko brothers together with Mindich. It is likely that Mindich received his stake in Igor Chervonenko’s pharmaceutical group as payment for these “services.”
When UA.News journalists directly asked Igor Chervonenko about Mindich’s stake in his business and the trip to Israel on September 19, his defense team called it “discrediting.” Attorney Iryna Kostenko stated that none of the “accusations” are true.
It should be noted that the circle of those involved in Timur Mindich’s corruption schemes is expanding. In February 2026, Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), stated that the investigation into the “Mindichgate” case is ongoing and new details regarding this proceeding can be expected in the near future.
Read also:
Billions in turnover and shadow beneficiaries: who is behind Chervonenko’s “Dobryi Den Pharmacies” group
After “Mindichgate”: Yermak is protected by state security, while Chervonenko continues to run his business
The “Mindichgate” lists are expanding: will Ihor Chervonenko be on them?
