Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing the most serious corruption scandal of his six-year presidency, as investigators have accused one of his former business partners of leading a multimillion-dollar bribery network, Kyiv Independent reported.

The case centres on Timur Mindich, who was Zelensky’s longtime associate and co-owner of his former entertainment company Kvartal 95. Ukraine National Anti-Corruption Bureau NABU said that Mindich headed a group that took bribes and kickbacks worth nearly $ 100 million from contractors working with a state-owned energy company in return for protecting their business deals.

According to NABU, the group laundered large amounts of money through shell companies. Mindich, however, fled Ukraine before he could be officially charged.

Initially, Zelensky’s office tried to play down Mindich’s role in the case. But as public pressure mounted, the president assured that sanctions would be imposed on his former business partner.

"The inner circle is always a problem for almost every Ukrainian president," said political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko.

"For Zelensky, these are friends. People he knew and trusted. But life has punished him a few times, especially now with Mindich, showing that excessive trust in friends can end badly."

Zelensky came to power in 2019 with a campaign against corruption and nepotism and promised to bring "fresh faces" into Ukrainian politics. However, analysts now say that his deep reliance on friends and past business associates has turned into one of his biggest political liabilities.

"Society voted for Zelensky as an idea, not for his team or an ideology," said political analyst Oleh Saakian. "We end up with a situation where decision-making is concentrated in the President's Office. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It was only a matter of time before someone in the inner circle started enriching themselves or tried to play their own game."

During his 2019 campaign, Zelensky had strongly criticised then-President Petro Poroshenko for corruption scandals involving his top aides. "Modern politicians are tied to old grudges, nepotism, and business projects, and are incapable of changing Ukraine," Zelensky had said at the time.

However, within two years of taking office, around 30 people linked to Zelensky’s family or his former comedy studio were appointed to senior positions in the government, according to the Kyiv Independent, which cited investigative outlet Bihus Info.

When questioned about his inner circle Zelensky often stood by them "If I lose my team, and it's a small one, 5-6 managers, we will become weaker," he said in 2023.

A 2024 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that nearly half of Ukrainians believed Zelensky had delivered few or none of his campaign promises. Among those who said he failed, 50 per cent blamed "dishonest, corrupt people in his team", while 32 per cent pointed to a lack of skilled officials.

Several senior figures close to Zelensky have faced charges or investigations in recent years. According to the Kyiv Independent, Deputy head of the President’s Office, Oleh Tatarov, was charged with bribery but still remains in his position. Another deputy head, Andrii Smyrnov, was dismissed in 2024, while Rostyslav Shurma is under investigation after authorities raided his apartment in Munich.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov has been charged twice for illicit enrichment. Andrii Kostin, the former Prosecutor General, resigned after corruption allegations, but was later appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the Netherlands.