How and when Mindich left Ukraine: new details from NABU
16 January 01:53
Businessman Timur Mindich, who is involved in criminal proceedings by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), planned his departure from Ukraine in advance and left the country before the searches began. This was announced by the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, Semen Kryvonos, during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada’s Temporary Investigation Commission, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
What the detectives found
According to Kryvonos, the relevant conclusions were made based on the analysis of data from mobile phones seized from some of the persons involved in the case.
“It has been established that the leader of the criminal organization left on November 10 at approximately 2 a.m. At the same time, the vehicle he used (a private transfer) was ordered by his assistants on the morning of November 9,” said the director of the NABU.
Thus, he emphasized, the departure was planned and not carried out in a hurry a few hours before the investigative actions.
Context of the Midas case
On November 10, NABU announced a large-scale special operation called “Midas,” aimed at exposing corruption in the energy sector. According to the investigation, certain individuals systematically demanded illegal benefits from contractors of the state-owned enterprise NAEK Energoatom in the amount of 10-15% of the contract value.
According to the investigation, the organizer of the scheme was businessman Timur Mindich. Law enforcement officials believe that he may currently be outside Ukraine, specifically in Israel.
Procedural decisions
On November 22, NABU announced a search for Timur Mindich and Alexander Zuckerman.
On December 1, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on Mindich in the form of detention.
The SAPO stated that, according to the investigation, Mindich had influence over Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov throughout 2025.
At the same time, on January 15, Semen Kryvonos separately emphasized that Andriy Yermak and Rustem Umerov do not have the status of suspects in this criminal proceeding.
What’s next
NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are continuing their investigation into the Midas case.
Only a court can make final legal conclusions regarding the role and responsibility of the individuals involved.
