Zelenskyy imposes sanctions against Mindich and Zuckerman
13 November 2025 12:05
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed sanctions against businessmen Timur Mindich and Oleksandr Zukerman. They are both involved in a high-profile corruption case at Energoatom.
This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the decrees published on the website of the Presidential Administration.
According to the decrees, both businessmen are Israeli citizens. They are subject to a full list of restrictions provided for by the Law of Ukraine “On Sanctions”, in particular
- blocking of assets;
- a ban on the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine;
- complete cessation of trade operations and transit of resources;
- prohibition to participate in privatization and lease of state property;
- prohibition to use the radio frequency spectrum of Ukraine;
- restriction or termination of electronic communication services;
- a complete ban on the acquisition of land plots;
- prohibition of public procurement and defense contracts;
- prohibition to increase the shareholding in the authorized capital of Ukrainian companies.
The sanctions were imposed for a period of three years, with some restrictions being indefinite.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has been instructed to inform the competent authorities of the EU, the US and other countries about the sanctions and to raise the issue of introducing similar restrictive measures.
Zelensky previously announced the imposition of sanctions
Earlier, the President of Ukraine announced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions on the proposal of the Cabinet of Ministers.
“I will sign a decree imposing sanctions against two people involved in the NABU case against Energoatom,” Zelensky said in a statement on November 12.
Although he did not name them, sources told the media that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine had received a submission on sanctions against businessmen Timur Mindich and Oleksandr Zukerman.
However, the names were officially revealed that day by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
“At an extraordinary meeting, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, on the grounds specified by the Law of Ukraine “On Sanctions”, submitted to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine proposals for the application of personal sanctions against Timur Mindich and Alexander Zuckerman,” she wrote on November 12 in her Telegram channel.
What is known about the Midas case
On the morning of November 10, NABU detectives conducted searches at the home of businessman Timur Mindich, co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio, who is called a close friend of President Zelensky. Investigative actions also took place at the home of the suspended Minister of Justice Herman Halushchenko.
However, Mindich, one of the main defendants in the case, left Ukraine a few hours before the searches. As part of the investigation, the NABU released excerpts of audio recordings about corruption in the energy sector.
According to the investigation, Energoatom operated a “barrier” scheme: contractors were forced to pay 10-15% of the contract amount as kickbacks. In case of refusal, they threatened to block payments or exclude them from the list of suppliers.
According to the NABU, the funds were legalized through a back office in the center of Kyiv, where about $100 million passed through. The office belonged to the family of former MP and current Russian Senator Andrii Derkach.
Five people have already been detained in the case, and a number of them have been notified of suspicion. The investigators include:
- Timur Mindich – businessman and co-founder of Kvartal 95;
- Ihor Myroniuk, former advisor to the Minister of Energy;
- Dmytro Basov, former executive director for security at Energoatom;
- Four employees of the “back office” for money laundering: Oleksandr Zukerman, Ihor Fursenko, Lesia Ustymenko, and Liudmyla Zorina.
The defendants used codenames: Mindich – “Carlson”, Myroniuk – “Rocket”, Basov – “Tenor”, Zuckerman – “Sugarman”, Fursenko – “Rashik”.
Also involved in the case are Herman Halushchenko (“Professor”) and former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov (“Che Guevara”), who have been notified of suspicion.
