Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have appealed to Interpol to issue an international warrant against Ukrainian-Israeli Timur Mindics and his business partner Alexander Zuckerman, both considered fugitives from justice and both reported to hold Israeli citizenship.
The corruption scandal centers on bundles of money, a toilet made of gold, and threads leading to the Ukrainian president.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have officially submitted to Interpol the documents aimed at launching the international arrest of both Mindics and Zuckerman. The announcement was made by Oleksandr Klimenko, head of SAPO, wrote Ukrainian outlet Strana Today.
Mindics is currently in Israel, which he reportedly fled to an hour before anti-corruption officers raided his apartment, leading to suspicion someone in the government tipped him off that the raid was coming.
He is being tried in absentia for corruption crimes in the energy sector. The entrepreneur, who has a long history with Zelensky and played a key role in his rise to power, previously claimed that he was scapegoated in the scandal, while Zuckerman also denies the allegations.
“The case is particularly sensitive, as Mindich had close ties with President Volodymyr Zelensky for many years,” writes Starna Today.
During the house search, Ukrainian investigators seized bundles of cash from the fugitive businessman and also found a golden toilet in his home. Zelensky is reported to have celebrated his birthday in this apartment during the coronavirus pandemic.
"A golden toilet is in one of the bathrooms of the apartment of Zelensky's business partner Timur Mindich, where, according to media reports, NABU wiretapped the president himself. This was reported by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who showed a photo, as he claims, from this apartment.… pic.twitter.com/LYtCFKlTcW
— Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) July 30, 2025The investigation focuses on abuses surrounding state and semi-state energy companies. According to the authorities, inadequate procurement procedures, embezzled money, parallel management structures and “shadow” accounting were behind it.
The damage caused is estimated at about $100 million and led to 70 properties being searched and numerous arrests made. Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has conducted searches at the home of the driver of Andriy Yermak, the notorious figure in the Ukrainian corruption scandal known as “Ali Baba.” Another friend of Zelensky’s, former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, was remanded into custody. Justice Minister German Galushchenko was also suspended after his house was searched. He had been serving as energy minister at the time of the events.
According to NABU, the group’s goal was to gain illegal benefits from Energoatom’s contractual partners and control personnel decisions, procurement and financial flows through informal contacts.
According to Die Welt newspaper, several top leaders, active and former politicians are involved in the case, as well as actors who can be linked to Moscow.
Mindics’ escape triggered separate speculations. According to the German newspaper, he was seen in Kyiv a day before the house search, which may indicate that he was warned in time. Since it would have been difficult to get out of the country by car, it was also suggested that he left Ukraine by helicopter, which “in wartime conditions would only have been possible with official permission.”
