Umerov explains meeting with Mindich and termination of contract for bulletproof vests
12 November 00:16
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Rustem Umerov, who previously headed the Ministry of Defense, has denied allegations that businessman Timur Mindich influenced his decisions while working in the defense ministry. Umerov posted this on Facebook, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Meeting with Mindich and the contract for body armor
Umerov confirmed that he had met with Mindic at the Defense Ministry, but rejected any attempts to link the meeting to influence on his work.
“Any attempts to link my work at the Defense Ministry to the ‘influence’ of any individuals are groundless,” the NSDC Secretary emphasized.
According to Umerov, the issue of contracted bulletproof vests was discussed.
“In particular, there was a meeting with Timur Mindich, where the issue of contracted bulletproof vests was raised. As a result, the contract was terminated because the products did not meet the requirements and no products were delivered,” he said.
Working meetings with suppliers and manufacturers
The former defense minister added that during his tenure at the ministry, he regularly held meetings with manufacturers and suppliers of equipment and weapons, as well as with lobbyists.
“As a minister, I regularly met with manufacturers and suppliers of equipment and weapons, lobbyists, etc. I ask you to check any loud statements and am always ready to provide relevant information and explanations to the media,” Umerov emphasized.
What the SAPO said
Earlier, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said that businessman Timur Mindich, a person involved in the investigation of a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector, could have influenced Umerov’s decisions during his tenure as head of the Defense Ministry.
“During 2025, the facts of Mindich’s criminal activity in the energy sector by influencing Energy Minister Galushchenko and in the defense sector by influencing Defense Minister Umerov were established,” said the SAPO prosecutor during a court hearing on choosing a preventive measure for former Energy Minister’s Advisor, former Deputy Head of the State Property Fund Ihor Myroniuk, who is involved in the investigation of a corruption scheme in the energy sector.
The SAPO representative noted that the success of Mindic’s organization depended on his personal connections with Umerov, Halushchenko, and other high-ranking officials, with whom he organized private meetings in his apartment.
“With Galushchenko’s assistance, Mindic controlled financial flows in Ukraine’s gas and energy sectors. Galushchenko received personal benefits by patronizing Mindich before the President and using services organized by Mindich to legalize money laundering through the Minister’s confidant, advisor Myroniuk,” the SAPO prosecutor added.
Current activities of Umerov
It is known that Umerov is currently in Turkey.
The NSDC Secretary will work in Turkey and the Middle East to unblock the process of prisoner exchanges.
What is known about corruption at Energoatom?
on November 10, the NABU announced that it had uncovered a corruption scheme at Energoatom, which included current and former energy officials. The criminals received undue benefits from the company’s contractors in the amount of 10-15% of the value of contracts, using the so-called “barrier” scheme to control payments and the status of suppliers.
The scheme involved a former deputy head of the State Property Fund, who became an advisor to the Minister of Energy, and a former law enforcement officer, who was the executive director of physical protection at Energoatom. Law enforcement officers found that the actual management of a strategic enterprise with an annual revenue of over UAH 200 billion was carried out by unauthorized persons without formal authority.
In addition, the NABU uncovered the “Legalization” scheme, in which a Kyiv office associated with the family of former Russian MP Andrii Derkach laundered money through a network of non-resident companies. About $100 million passed through this scheme, keeping “black books” and issuing cash outside of Ukraine.
According to MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, the members of the criminal organization identified so far include:
- former advisor to the Minister of Energy Ihor Myroniuk;
- dmytro Basov, Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security of Energoatom JSC;
- businessman and head of the criminal organization Timur Mindich;
- four people – employees of the back office for money laundering.
At the same time, NABU reported only on searches at Energoatom, without mentioning Mindich or Halushchenko.
For his part, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need for transparency at Energoatom and the inevitability of punishment for corruption schemes in the energy sector.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak submitted resolutions to the Verkhovna Rada to dismiss Minister of Justice Herman Halushchenko and Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk.
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