Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) say they have exposed an organised group involved in laundering large sums of illicit assets through a luxury construction project in the Kyiv region.
The investigation marks another high-profile test for Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions, which have continued pursuing cases involving senior political and business figures during Russia’s full-scale war.
Investigators say seven individuals have been notified of suspicion, including a former head of the Presidential Office, a former Deputy Prime Minister, a businessman described as a leader of a previously exposed criminal organisation, and four other participants.
The reference to a former head of the Presidential Office concerns Andrii Yermak, who held the post until 2025, according to previous reporting.
Investigators link luxury Kozyn project to UAH 460 million scheme
According to the investigation, between 2021 and 2025 the group allegedly laundered more than UAH 460 million through the construction of an elite residential complex in the village of Kozyn, outside Kyiv. The project reportedly included four private estates with auxiliary buildings and a shared spa complex built on an eight-hectare site.
Authorities say part of the funding – including nearly USD 9 million in construction costs – was routed through a company described as a laundering hub controlled by one of the suspects, who was expected to become the owner of one of the estates.
Investigators also link portions of the financing to corruption schemes involving the state nuclear energy company Energoatom.
NABU says Zelenskyy does not figure in investigation
During a briefing on 12 May, NABU Director Semen Kryvonos said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “did not and does not figure” in the investigation, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Kryvonos added that investigators are continuing to examine ownership links and related assets as part of the ongoing pre-trial investigation.
Case expands broader “Midas” anti-corruption investigation
The announcement follows reporting from 11 May, when NABU and SAPO first said they were conducting investigative actions in a broader case involving an organised group allegedly connected to large-scale asset laundering through elite real estate near Kyiv.
At that time, anti-corruption agencies said a notice of suspicion had been served on a former head of the Presidential Office as part of the wider investigation.
Kryvonos also said NABU continues to investigate defence-sector procurement directions connected to the earlier “Midas” operation, also referred to in Ukrainian media as “Mindichgate,” including certain drone manufacturers.
