Zelensky’s friend and businessman Timur Mindich sues him over sanctions decree
Timur Mindich, a businessman and close associate of Volodymyr Zelensky who is the central figure in the Energoatom embezzlement case, has gone to court to challenge a Ukrainian presidential decree imposing sanctions on him, filed November 13, 2025.
The lawsuit was filed with the Cassation Administrative Court of Ukraine’s Supreme Court. The named defendants are Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, and the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture.
Ukrainian law enforcement considers Mindich a key participant in a kickback scheme at Energoatom, under which the state company’s contractors were forced to pay 10–15% of contract values for supplier status. Investigators also suspect that Mindich may have exerted influence over senior officials in the energy sector.
In November 2025, several hours before searches were conducted as part of an anti-corruption investigation, Mindich left Ukraine.
Mindich holds Israeli citizenship. In late March, Ukraine asked Israel to extradite him.
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