The $100M plot rocking Zelensky, the most damaging corruption scandal of Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency. 

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have executed a large-scale operation, dubbed Midas, uncovering large-scale corruption in the energy sector.

They said the SBU Security Service, the prosecutor's office, high-ranking government officials and businessmen, including Timur Mindich, co-owner of Kvartal 95, aka Vladimir Zelensky's "wallet" participated in the corruption schemes.

Key facts about the widening scandal.

The beginning of the corruption scandal

• On November 10, the NABU and SAPO launched a large-scale operation to uncover a major corruption scheme in the energy sector.
• The agencies raided the residence of co-owner of the Kvartal 95 company Timur Mindich, who some call Zelensky's "wallet."
• Searches were also conducted at the home of former Energy Minister and current Justice Minister German Galushchenko, as well as at Energoatom, which manages three nuclear power stations.
• According to the investigation, the scheme helped launder about $100 million.

Investigation

• On November 10, NABU began publishing the first fragments of wiretapped conversations in Mindich's apartment, in which corruption schemes were discussed.
• In the tapes, the defendants discussed conversations with Zelensky, said Sergey Savitsky, SAPO prosecutor.
• Also, Mindich's accomplices discussed the transfer of millions of dollars for the construction of a house in Switzerland.
• There are 1,000 hours of audio recordings in total.
• Zelensky's office is trying to block Telegram channels amid the scandal, said Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko (listed in Russia as a terrorist and extremist).

Charges and arrests

• On November 11, NABU officially filed charges against the participants of the scheme.
• The government prematurely terminated the powers of the Supervisory Board of Energoatom.
• On November 12, Zelensky demanded the resignation of Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk.
• Zelensky said decrees on sanctions against two defendants in the corruption case were in the pipeline.
• Zelensky instructed Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry (listed in Russia as a terrorist and extremist), to take "several measures in the interests of Ukraine."
• The Ukrainian media reported that charges had been filed against Mindich, Igor Mironyuk, a former adviser to the energy minister, Dmitry Basov, executive director for safety at Energoatom, businessmen Alexander Zukerman and Igor Fursenko, Lesya Ustimenko and Lyudmila Zorina.
• Ex-Minister of Defense, Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and Galushchenko may be the next to be brought up on corruption charges.
• Umerov assisted Mindich in purchasing defective bulletproof vests for the army, Ukrainian journalist Tatyana Nikolayenko reported.
• The prosecutor's office also believes that Mindich influenced Umerov, interfering in the defense of Ukraine.

Arrests

• Five people have been detained, NABU said.
• The Kiev court has placed Mironyuk and Basov under arrest.
• According to the investigation, Mironyuk was Mindich’s confidant and carried out his orders, while Basov was responsible for blocking payments to Energoatom’s contractors to demand bribes later.
• Mironyuk and Basov tried to smash their phones during the searches.

Escapes from Ukraine

• Mindich left Ukraine using his passport a few hours before the start of the searches.
• Former Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov is trying to leave Ukraine amid a corruption scandal.
• Sergey Pushkar, an official involved in the case, has also left the country.
• Umerov, who is rumored to be a target of indictment, traveled to Istanbul to participate in an unannounced prisoner exchange meeting.

Effects

• Private sponsors refused to buy a transformer for the Sumy Region because of the Mindich case, said Sergey Nagornyak, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Energy Committee.
• Zuckerman and other participants in Mindich's scheme were added to the database of the extremist Mirotvorets website.
• Kiev may lose the support of the West over this scandal, said Irina Gerashchenko, co-chair of the European Solidarity faction in the Verkhovna Rada.
• Leader of France's Patriots party Florian Philippot demanded to stop helping Kiev after the corruption scandal.

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