The publication of part of the conversations between businessman Timur Mindich, Sergey Shefir, and Rustem Umerov in the ‘Midas’ case has caused a public outcry. According to journalists, the recordings were made in the summer of 2025 in Mindich’s apartment, who is currently under sanctions and is a suspect in a corruption case in the energy sector.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Details of the Conversations and Key Figures in the Case
According to the released materials, one of the conversations concerned the discussion of the bail amount for former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who is suspected of abusing his official position and bribery. During the dialogue, Mindich remarked about “skryshil 6, or 26 (apartments, – ed.)”, while Sergey Shefir mentioned the people’s deputies Yuriy Kisyel and Oleksandr Sova, who, according to him, pass him half of certain incomes.
“(Chernyshov – ed.) skryshil 6, or 26 (apartments, – ed.)”
Later, in December of the same year, Kisyel was handed a suspicion in the case of systematic bribery of deputies for passing decisions in the Verkhovna Rada.
The recordings also captured a conversation between Mindich and the then Minister of Defense, now Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov. They discussed the possibility of appointing Umerov as the U.S. ambassador and the potential rotation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the position of Minister of Defense.
Connection to Fire Point and Reactions from Key Figures
According to journalists, Mindich and Umerov discussed the activities of the company Fire Point, specifically the models of long-range weapons FP-1, FP-5, and FP-7. Mindich expressed dissatisfaction with the insufficient funding of this company. Investigations indicate that Mindich may be one of the beneficiaries of Fire Point, although he denies this and insists that he has no connection to the arms manufacturer.
Founded in 2022, Fire Point has quickly become a key player in the production of Ukrainian long-range drones. In just August-September 2025, more than half of the drones used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine were manufactured by this company.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau is currently refraining from commenting on the released conversations. No official statements have been made regarding this matter by Rustem Umerov, Sergey Shefir, or Timur Mindich.
Following the publication of the recordings, the head of the temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksiy Honcharenko, invited Sergey Shefir and Rustem Umerov to provide explanations regarding the ‘Midas’ case at a commission meeting scheduled for May 13.
It is worth noting that on November 10, 2025, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced the exposure of a criminal organization that received illegal benefits from the contractors of the state enterprise ‘Energoatom’ amounting to 10-15% of the contract value. Within the framework of this case, suspicion was announced to eight individuals, including Timur Mindich (who is referred to in the NABU recordings by the code name ‘Karlson’).
According to law enforcement, Mindich left Ukraine on the night of November 10 to 11, after which the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against him. In a comment to journalists, Mindich stated that he has no intention of returning to Ukraine and considers all accusations against him as “manipulations”.