Umerov rejects SAPO claims of influence by Zelenskyy-linked oligarch Mindich

Umerov: Mindich had no influence on my work as defense minister

National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov stated that no one "influenced" him during his tenure as Defense Minister. Earlier, SAPO claimed that Kvartal-95 co-owner Timur Mindich had exerted influence on the former minister.

He wrote this on his Telegram channel, Censor.NET reports.

On the meeting with Mindich

"Any attempts to link my work at the Ministry of Defense with the ‘influence’ of certain individuals are unfounded," Umerov said.

He noted that as minister, he regularly met with equipment and weapons manufacturers, suppliers, and lobbyists.

In particular, Umerov confirmed that he had a meeting with Tymur Mindich, during which they discussed issues related to a body armor procurement contract.

"As a result, the contract was terminated due to the product’s noncompliance with standards, and no goods were delivered. I urge everyone to verify any loud claims, and I am always ready to provide relevant information and explanations to the media," he added.

Background

Earlier, Censor.NET reported that NABU was conducting searches at Mindich's residence, who left Ukraine a few hours before the searches.
As reported, on Tuesday, 4 November, searches were conducted in one of the branches of the separate divisions of NNEGC "Energoatom" in connection with a corruption case.
The NABU is also conducting searches at the home of former Energy Minister Halushchenko and at "Energoatom".
The NABU and the SAPO announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
Current Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk appears on recordings obtained by NABU as part of its investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Later, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered an office in central Kyiv belonging to the family of former MP and current Russian senator Andrii Derkach, where a "black ledger" was kept, cash was tracked, and money-laundering operations were organized.
On 11 November, NABU released recordings featuring Minister Halushchenko and Mindich.
The main figures in NABU’s leaked recordings from Operation "Midas" are "Rocket" (the so-called overseer of Energoatom) and "Tenor" (Energoatom’s executive director). According to media reports, they are Ihor Myroniuk and Dmytro Basov, respectively. In the conversation, they discussed mechanisms of pressuring contractors to extort money.