Zelensky’s Ex-Business Partner, Justice Minister Targeted in Anti-Corruption Searches

Detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) reportedly searched the homes of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko – who previously headed the Ministry of Energy – and Timur Mindich, co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio and former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“NABU and SAPO are conducting Operation Midas – 15 months of work, over 70 searches, with all NABU detectives involved,” said Oleksandr Abakumov, head of NABU’s Main Detective Unit.

According to Abakumov, the special operation exposed a high-level criminal organization operating in the energy and defense sectors. The investigation involves cases of corruption, money laundering, and illicit enrichment.

NABU detectives also released excerpts of conversations between suspects from different periods, which discuss the allocation of funds.

According to Ukrainska Pravda and RBC Ukraine media outlets, the searches took place based on information from anonymous sources.

The search at Mindich’s residence reportedly took place in Kyiv, though he is believed to have left Ukraine. In late July 2025, media outlets reported that he was in Austria and could be evading investigators.

Verkhovna Rada parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak also confirmed that searches were conducted at Halushchenko’s home and the offices of his former employer Energoatom, the public enterprise that runs all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

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“Herman Halushchenko has been searched by NABU. And they say the same in Energoatom,” Zheleznyak wrote.

Halushchenko previously worked at the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Presidential Administration.

From 2013 to 2014, he served as executive director for legal support at Energoatom and later became the company’s vice president in 2020-21.

He was appointed Minister of Energy in April 2021 and became Justice Minister in July 2025, following the resignation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the formation of Yulia Svyrydenko’s government.

Later, RBC-Ukraine, citing its sources, reported that the searches of Mindich and Halushchenko are part of a single case related to corruption in the energy sector. The same sources also confirmed that Mindich had left Ukraine.

Mindich, a Ukrainian businessman and film producer, is one of the co-owners of Kvartal 95, the studio behind many of Zelensky’s popular television projects before he went into politics.

He has long been associated with oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky and is widely seen as part of Zelensky’s early business circle. Media reports have suggested that Mindich introduced Zelensky to Kolomoisky during his time at Kvartal 95.

Journalists recorded Mindich’s visits to the Presidential Office in 2020-21, which drew public scrutiny. He has also been described as one of Zelensky’s closest personal friends.

In July 2025, reports indicated that a company linked to Mindich may be involved in a NABU investigation into possible embezzlement of state funds.

Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Service, told RBC-Ukraine that he did not have access to information about Mindich’s departure on Nov. 10.