“Ryoshyk’s Insult”: how the NABU tapes leak exposed the split in Mindich’s entourage and schemes in “Energoatom”

“Ryoshyk’s Insult”: how the NABU tapes leak exposed the split in Mindich’s entourage and schemes in “Energoatom”

The person who is likely behind the leak of the "Mindich tapes" is Petro Boyko — the lawyer of one of the key figures in the NABU and SAPO materials, Ihor Fursenko (known as "Ryoshyk").

Such a version was voiced by People’s Deputy from "Holos" Yaroslav Zheleznyak. At the same time, he notes that this is not a proven fact, but a probable version.

According to Zheleznyak, the analyzed metadata of the materials indicates that these documents belong to the defense side.

Fursenko is the former Executive Director for Security of "Energoatom". According to the investigation data, he was the accountant of the "back office for money laundering" and is remembered for the phrase that "it’s hard to carry 1.6 million dollars in a suitcase".

In addition, Zheleznyak voiced versions that were discussed in society before he studied the file metadata, including:

- there was a version about the involvement of the President’s Office, however, the people’s deputy dismissed it, since Bankova allegedly did not know at first how to properly react to the situation after the "leak";

- anonymous Telegram channels, a number of media outlets, and some pseudo-experts spread the thesis that the leak is an American special operation aimed at disrupting the production of Ukrainian weapons by Fire Point company;

- people loyal to the OP claimed that this was an FSB special operation against FirePoint company.

- a number of people’s deputies, including "Servant of the People" Maksym Buzhanskyi, assured that the leak came from NABU, SAPO, or HACC, but Zheleznyak considers this unlikely due to the "file format incompatibility";

- it was assumed that the recordings "leaked" from the Prosecutor General’s Office or MFA during the preparation of documents for the extradition of Mindich and another probable organizer of the money laundering scheme, Oleksandr Tsukerman ("Sugarmen");

- Israel transferred the documents in response to Ukraine’s accusations of buying stolen Ukrainian grain, which was transported by Russian ships;

- the lawyers of Mindich himself, although his defense denied it.

After exposing the large-scale corruption scheme in "Energoatom", it turned out that Fire Point company, which produces long-range drones and missiles, provided "Ryoshyk" with a deferment from mobilization. According to media reports, he returned to Ukraine from the Maldives on November 8 — five days before the arrest, when other figures in the case already knew that "some measures are being prepared".

The chief designer of Fire Point, Denys Shtilerman, said that Fursenko worked as an administrator in the company, and explained the suspect’s employment by the fact that "Ryoshyk" allegedly evacuated his wife from Russia.

Even staunch opponents of NABU in the special services call the "Midas" operation brilliant. But!

Why is the main figure of the investigation — the long-time friend of the president Tymur Mindich — meeting with the Tsukerman brothers in Tel Aviv instead of sitting on the HACC bench?

Was there a leak of information about upcoming searches? What role could Deputy Head of SAPO Andriy Synyuk have played in this? What other areas of power monetization did Mindich influence? What — and who — can stop the further investigation?

And most importantly: what should the president do and what should the country do?