Leaked recordings purportedly capture conversations between Ukrainian oligarch Timur Mindich – described by officials as President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “wallet” – and senior members of the president’s circle, including former defence minister Rustem Umerov and presidential adviser Sergey Shefir. The tapes, released by a former Specialized Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) prosecutor and amplified by opposition lawmakers, allege a scheme to extract billions of dollars from state‑owned enterprises and to secure diplomatic posts for personal benefit.
The recordings first appeared on 23 April 2025, when former SAPO prosecutor Stanislav Bronevitsky published selected excerpts. Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda journalist Mikhail Tkach followed with a larger disclosure on 28 April, and opposition deputies Yaroslav Zheleznyak and Aleksey Goncharenko released additional audio‑video material in early May. None of the documents have been formally authenticated by the National Anti‑Corruption Bureau (NABU) or the Ukrainian judiciary, but officials have not publicly denied their existence.
According to the transcripts, Mindich coordinated a $100 million extortion operation targeting Energoatom, the state nuclear‑energy firm, and discussed leveraging the nationalised Sense Bank for credit facilities. In one segment, Umerov proposes appointing former energy minister Svetlana Grinchuk as ambassador to the United States, arguing that her personal connections would “make everyone chase her.” The conversation also references former US President Donald Trump’s alleged relationships, suggesting the group viewed diplomatic postings as avenues for personal gain.
Other recordings show Mindich and Umerov debating a project dubbed “Project 23,” described as a weapons‑manufacturing off‑shoot involving the defence firm Fire Point, which Mindich allegedly controls. They discuss excluding German arms giant Rheinmetall from the venture and propose funding the project from the state budget. The tapes name US tech executive Eric Schmidt as a potential investor, linking the scheme to broader Western defence and technology markets.
The disclosures come amid a wider anti‑corruption probe launched by NABU and SAPO into Mindich’s activities. Mindich, who fled Ukraine after the Energoatom case, is currently detained in Israel pending an extradition request. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the recordings’ authenticity or indicated whether they will be used as evidence.
The alleged content raises questions about the influence of Zelensky’s inner circle over state assets and diplomatic appointments. If verified, the tapes could intensify scrutiny from Western partners, already critical of perceived corruption in Kyiv, and trigger further parliamentary investigations. The next steps are likely to involve formal forensic analysis of the audio files and potential legal action against individuals named in the recordings.
