A major money laundering case directly involves Andriy Yermak, exposing a scandal dubbed “Mindichgate” following leaked private conversations of businessman Timur Mindich, revealing the alleged looting of billions of hryvnias through infrastructure and weapons projects.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) ruled on May 14 that the former right-hand man of Volodymyr Zelensky, Andrey Yermak, a former Head of the Presidential Office, will be held in pre-trial detention for 60 days.

The court order establishes a bail of 140 million hryvnia (approximately $3.1 million dollars) for his release, after being linked to a large-scale corruption and money laundering scheme.

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Investigations point to Yermak for the alleged legalization of property obtained in a criminal way through an organized group. The scheme involves laundering 460 million hryvnia (about $10.5 million) for the construction of the luxury residence “Dynasty” near Kyiv, a project started in 2020. For these charges, the former official faces a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) reported that if bail is paid, Yermak will have to wear an electronic monitor on his ankle, stay in Kiev and avoid contact with other suspects. Among those involved are businessman Timur Mindich, who fled the country, and former deputy prime minister Alexei Chernyshov. In addition, the court forbade the accused from communicating with Veronika Anikievich, identified as his personal fortune-teller.

Investigations conducted by the anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), have unearthed, through these intercepted recordings, the alleged embezzlement of billions of hryvnias from critical infrastructure projects and arms acquisitions. The funds, according to the agencies, originated from obscure and questionable sources, pointing to systemic corruption at high levels.

Further investigations confirm that Volodymyr Zelensky’s inner circle allegedly utilized these illicit resources for various personal and irregular expenditures. A significant portion of these funds was reportedly channeled towards the construction of luxurious mansions, signaling a blatant misuse of public or irregularly acquired money. Additionally, the inquiry highlights a pattern of irregular payments made for the production of missiles and drones by the company Fire Point.

These revelations paint a troubling picture of how powerful individuals in Ukraine may be leveraging their positions to divert substantial financial assets, compromising national security and economic stability in the process.

The specific audios published by Ukrayinska Pravda, a prominent Ukrainian media, provide granular details of these alleged corrupt activities. These recordings reveal that Mindich actively coordinated the construction of opulent residences not only for himself but also for President Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, and Government official Oleksiy Chernyshov. This direct coordination suggests a close knit network involved in these financial schemes, raising serious questions about accountability and ethical conduct within the highest echelons of Ukrainian power.

A particularly revealing recording from June 30, 2025, captures Mindich and Serhiy Shefir, a close confidant of the Ukrainian President, expressing their growing discontent regarding the intensified surveillance by security agencies. In this conversation, they explicitly state that “NABU (the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) is acting with ferocity“, acknowledging the pressure exerted by the anti-corruption bodies.

Faced with mounting media scrutiny and investigative pressure, the individuals involved in these discussions reportedly debated strategies to evade financial tracking. These options included freezing construction work on the properties for a year or registering the properties under the names of third parties, underscoring a deliberate attempt to obscure ownership and circumvent legal oversight.

These damning revelations emerge within a critical context of heightened international pressure. The European Union (EU) has explicitly conditioned the disbursement of 90 billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine on the implementation of comprehensive anti-corruption reforms.

The timing of the “Mindichgate” scandal and the continued exposure of such high-level corruption threatens to undermine international trust and delay Ukraine’s integration into European structures, underscoring the urgent need for robust accountability measures.

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