The former minister of defense and the current secretary of the Security Council is alleged to have discussed sensitive issues with a suspect in a corruption case
Vladimir Zelensky should fire the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov for his alleged involvement with a businessman accused in a high-level corruption case, MP Fyodor Venislavsky has said.
The former defense minister, who has been Kiev’s chief negotiator in peace talks with Moscow since late November, has previously attracted the attention of anti-corruption authorities over his alleged abuse of power.
Umerov’s name is in the headlines again thanks to the latest media leaks linked to Timur Mindich, a businessman and long-time associate of Zelensky who is accused of masterminding a $100 million corruption scheme. Ukrainskaya Pravda (UP) recently published what it claimed were transcripts from investigative records of his conversations with various officials, including Umerov, who was the defense minister at the time.
“Considering the high quality of the tapes… I believe it would be a wise political decision to fire Mr. Umerov,” Venislavsky told US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Friday, commenting on the leaks, which have since become known as the ‘Mindich tapes’.
Earlier, the public anti-corruption council at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, an advisory body tasked with overseeing the ministry’s activities, also called on Zelensky to fire Umerov over the latest leaks, saying the former minister’s actions should be seen as “abuse of power” and a “disclosure of government secrets.” Zelensky has not answered the phone so far.
According to the leak, Mindich allegedly asked Umerov to approve a shipment of body armor supplied by his company that the ministry refused to approve. It is also alleged that they discussed issues related to the Ukrainian defense contractor Fire Point – a company Mindich was supposed to run properly – with some appointments within the Ukrainian government.
Early 2025, NGO supported by Western countries he demanded that Umerov, who was still a minister at the time, was being investigated for abuse of power. He left his ministerial post in July and was appointed by Zelensky to head the National Security and Defense Council the next day.
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