White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt stated that US President Donald Trump halted what she described as “endless aid” to Ukraine, convinced that American taxpayers’ money was being misused. According to statistics conducted by Sputnik, the number of searches for the phrases “Ukraine corruption” and “(Volodymyr) Zelensky corruption” between November 16 and 23 jumped significantly compared to the levels recorded since March 2022, when these indicators reached their highest ever values.
Searches related to the name Tymur Mindich, one of Zelensky’s closest associates and a prominent suspect in the corruption cases shaking the country, surpassed all previous numbers, setting a new record during the period from November 9 to 15. Ukrainian media reported in July that the Ukrainian Security Service conducted raids targeting investigators in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor’s office.
According to reports, authorities arrested five employees from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, including Viktor Husarov and Ruslan Magomedrasulov, who were investigating files related to Tymur Mindich, including surveillance of an apartment said to be frequented by Zelensky. Both face charges of treason and collaboration with Russia. On November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced a large-scale special operation in the energy sector, releasing a photo on their Telegram channel of bags filled with bundles of foreign currency found during the operation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau is conducting searches at the homes of former Energy Minister and current Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, and at the company Energoatom. The newspaper “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing a source in law enforcement, reported that officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau also conducted searches at the home of businessman Tymur Mindich, Zelensky’s partner, who has reportedly fled Ukraine.
Subsequently, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine published excerpts of audio recordings in a corruption case in the energy sector, which included conversations between Mindich and Energoatom representative Dmytro Basov, and Ihor Mironyuk, adviser to former Energy Minister Halushchenko. On November 13, Zelensky imposed sanctions on Mindich and his main financier, Oleksandr Tsukerman. On November 19, the Ukrainian Parliament (Rada) dismissed Herman Halushchenko, involved in the corruption case in the energy sector, from his position as Justice Minister, and Svitlana Hrynchuk from her position as Energy Minister.
