Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former business partner Tymur Mindich

Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky — “No Russian Success in Pokrovsk” in East

UPDATE 1829 GMT:

Ukraine’s General Staff says forces struck an oil refinery in the Orenburg region, more than 750 miles southeast of Moscow.

The Staff said preliminary information indicated one of the primary oil processing units was struck. The full extent of the damage is being assessed.

Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev confirmed that an industrial facility had been hit, without specifying its nature.

The Orsknefteorgsintez refinery has a capacity of up to 6.6 million tons per year, with 30 types of petroleum products including gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, and oils.

The refinery was also hit on October 3.

UPDATE 1301 GMT:

One of three videos put out by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau about its investigation of the alleged network obtaining up to $100 million in kickbacks over energy supplies.

UPDATE 1105 GMT:

Russia has launched a massive drone assault on Odesa in southern Ukraine overnight, targeting infrastructure.

At least one person is injured.

UPDATE 0858 GMT:

The Trump Administration is trying to strip language from a UN resolution affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemning Russia’s occupation of Crimea and other regions, says “two people familiar with internal UN discussions”

The resolution has been annually adopted since 2014 throughout Russia’s invasion, mass killing, and seizure of Ukrainian territory.

Last December the US was among those voting Yes as the resolution passed 78-18.

But the Trump Administration is pressing for removal of references to “territorial integrity” or “aggression”, with the resolution mentioning only “war in Ukraine”.

UPDATE 0726 GMT:

With US and European Union sanctions challenging its foreign operations, Russia’s Lukoil is threatening suspension of production at one of the world’s largest oilfields.

Lukoil declared force majeure last week at the West Qurna-2 field in Iraq, according to four sources.

Iraq stopped all payments to Lukoil after the imposition of US and EU sanctions at the end of October.

Lukoil told the Iraqi Government that if the causes of the force majeure are not resolved within six months, it will cease production and withdraw from the project.

In an e-mail on Friday, Lukoil terminated the services of all non-Russian foreign staff.

Bulgaria is poised to seize Lukoil’s Burgas oil refinery. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said authorities were conducting inspections and implementing security measures.

UPDATE 0720 GMT:

Ukrainian drones have again attacked the Saratov oil refinery in southwest Russia.

Eyewitness videos on the Telegram channel Astra channel showed explosions and fires.

Saratov Governor Roman Busargin confirmed damage to civilian infrastructure.

The attack is the seventh on the refinery this year.

UPDATE 0659 GMT:

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky implicitly referred to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau’s investigation of allegations of kickbacks from energy supply contracts.

The inquiry has included raids of the premises of Zelensky’s former business partner Tymur Mindich and ex-Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

Without naming Mindich or Halushchenko, Zelensky said, “Any effective actions against corruption are very needed. The inevitability of punishment is necessary….There must be sentences.”

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau is investigating President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former business partner Tymur Mindich, amid allegations of kickbacks from energy supply contracts.

“Law enforcement sources” confirmed that the Bureau (NABU) conducted searches in Kyiv of premises connected to Mindich.

Mindich, 46, is the co-owner of the Kvartal 95 production company, founded by Zelensky before he became President.

A “senior official” in Zelensky’s office said the Government supports “all activities that stamp out corruption”. They said evidence collected by NABU and other independent bodies should be tested in court.

Law enforcement officials said the businessman fled Ukraine hours before the searches. Sources confirmed they were linked to a major anti-corruption investigation of the energy sector.

The premises of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who was Energy Minister from 2021 to 2025, were searched.

“The activities of a high-level criminal organization have been documented,” NABU said in a statement. The group “set up a major corruption scheme to control key state-owned enterprises,” including nuclear energy agency Energoatom.

The group allegedly forced Energoatom’s suppliers to pay kickbacks of 10-15%, totally up to $100 million to avoid having blocked payments for services or goods or loss of supplier status.

Investigators said the scheme involved Ihor Myronyuk, a former deputy head of the State Property Fund who later became an advisor to Halushchenko, and Dmytro Basov, the Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security at Energoatom.

In June, the NABU reportedly arrested a relative of Mindich when he was trying to flee abroad. Leonid Mindich was charged with embezzling $16 million from the electric power company Kharkivoblenergo.