“Attempted assassination by mistake”: Kolomoisky reveals details of the attack on Timur Mindich in Israel
10 December 17:30
Timur Mindich, the main suspect in the large-scale corruption case of Ukraine’s Energoatom, was the victim of an attempted assassination attempt on his life that took place on November 28, 2025, in Israel.
Businessman Ihor Kolomoisky said this in the courtroom, adding that Mindich himself survived because the attackers had confused the house, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Details and circumstances of the assassination attempt
Information about the resonant incident became known from the words of Ihor Kolomoisky, who, citing his own sources, announced the attack during a court hearing.
- The assassination attempt took place on November 28, 2025, in Israel.
- According to Kolomoisky, the attack was unsuccessful because the attackers confused the house and entered the utility room.
- As a result of the attack, Mindich’s domestic worker was injured. Timur Mindich himself survived.
- Kolomoisky claims that the perpetrators have been arrested by local law enforcement agencies.
- The businessman noted that he received this information from his sources, but did not personally communicate with Mindich.
Promise to disclose details
Timur Mindich is a key figure in the investigation into corruption at the state-owned Energoatom.
Ihor Kolomoisky promised to provide more details on the case the next day during a hearing in the Pechersk court. There has been no official confirmation of the circumstances of the assassination attempt from the Israeli or Ukrainian authorities.
Operation Midas: what you need to know about it
The operation of the NABU and the SAPO got its name from the hero of Greek ancient mythology, King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold.
It resulted in the exposure of a criminal organization that included current and former energy officials, a well-known businessman, and other accomplices. According to the investigation, the group built a large-scale mechanism of informal influence on strategic state-owned enterprises, primarily Energoatom, for systematic bribery and subsequent money laundering.
In the framework of the proceedings under Art. 208 of the CPC, five people were detained and seven were served suspicion notices. Among them:
- Timur Mindich (“Carlson”) – a businessman who is considered to be the head of the organization. He managed to leave Ukraine before the searches began;
- Igor Myroniuk (“Rocket”) – former advisor to the Minister of Energy;
- Dmytro Basov (“Tenor”) – Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security at Energoatom;
- four people from the back office involved in money laundering.
According to the investigation, the scheme was based on the “recovery” of 10-15% of the contract amount from Energoatom’s counterparties. The suppliers were allegedly forced to pay kickbacks under the threat of blocking payments for services or products already rendered or being excluded from the list of partners. Inside the group, this practice was called “barrier”.
The former deputy head of the State Property Fund (later an advisor to the Minister of Energy) and a former security officer who served as the company’s executive director for security were involved in the implementation. Using their official connections, they influenced personnel decisions, procurement, and financial flows, effectively managing a strategic asset with annual revenues of over UAH 200 billion as “lookouts” without formal authority.
According to NABU, the money was legalized through a separate office in the center of Kyiv. The premises belonged to the family of former MP Andrii Derkach (fled to Russia), who is involved in another case of the Bureau and the SAPO. The office allegedly kept “black accounting”, accumulated cash, and organized money laundering through a network of non-resident companies; a significant part of the transactions and cash withdrawals were carried out outside Ukraine. For services to external clients, the office took a percentage of the “driven” amounts. In total, about $100 million could have passed through the so-called “laundry” during the documentation period.
The special operation lasted more than 15 months, starting in the summer of 2024. The detectives collected a large amount of evidence, including thousands of hours of audio recordings; at the final stage, almost all NABU personnel were involved. Following court orders, more than 70 searches were conducted in Kyiv and the regions, and significant amounts of documents and cash were seized. Other participants are being identified; the investigation is ongoing.
Pre-trial restraints have been granted:
- former Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine (custody with an alternative of UAH 126 million bail)
- executive Director for Physical Protection and Security of NNEGC Energoatom JSC (custody with an alternative of UAH 40 million bail);
- chief accountant of the money laundering back office (custody with an alternative of UAH 95 million bail);
- two back-office employees (custody with the alternative of UAH 25 million and UAH 12 million bail).
In addition, the former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine was served with a request to choose a custody as a measure of restraint.
