The anti-corruption investigation currently shaking Ukraine has advanced further than any other during Volodymyr Zelensky’s term – and inevitably, closer to the president. For a society weary of war, but also of repeated promises of “cleaning up the system”, the new revelations bring back to the fore an old question: how much of the promised anti-corruption is real and how much is just rhetoric?
It was past two in the morning when Timur Mindici, Zelensky’s former business partner, crossed the border into Poland. A few hours later, back home, detectives were raiding his residence, in one of the most extensive anti-corruption operations carried out in Ukraine in recent years. Approximately 70 locations were searched, five people were detained, and Mindici – one of the main accused – remains outside the country.
“Was he warned?” asks, in front of the cameras, Semen Krivonos, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). A simple question, but with heavy implications. Mindici could not be reached.
A scandal that hits Ukraine’s sensitive nerve: corruption in wartime
For Ukrainians enduring the third year of Russian invasion, the accusations are a direct affront. While ordinary people donate for drones, cars or bulletproof vests, the details of the investigation outline a different reality: one where officials and businessmen would have continued to siphon money from the system, writes The Wall Street Journal.
According to NABU, Mindici would have led a “criminal organization” that embezzled about 100 million dollars from Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear company. The scheme described by investigators is classic: contractors would have been pressured to pay 10-15% of the contract value as a “protection fee”. Those who refused risked losing the contracts.
Energoatom stated that it is evaluating internal procedures and promises transparency.
Zelensky does not appear in the case and is not accused of any wrongdoing. His office declined to comment.
But for public opinion, the question is not just legal. It is political. It is moral. How close is the president to the old networks? And how far is he willing to go to dismantle them?
Public fury, fueled by shortages and images of suitcases full of money
The publicized audio recordings – discussions about moving large sums of cash – have inflamed society. Especially now, when power outages leave entire houses without heat, and the country is trying to repair the energy infrastructure hit by Russian bombings. According to NABU, some protective works on energy installations would have been postponed to obtain additional bribes.
Details, HERE