The situation on the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast has worsened

Analysts from DeepState report that Russian forces have expanded their presence in the grey zone across several settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, including Solodke, Novomykolaivka, Rivnopillia, Nove, and Novouspenivske.

According to the group, Russian troops are increasingly active throughout this area, with a full occupation of Uspenivka confirmed. Information about the capture of Solodke and Pryvilne is still being verified. Fighting continues around Nove and Novouspenivske, while Rivnopillia is reportedly being encircled.

DeepState notes that Russia’s growing numerical advantage is shifting control over large portions of territory, raising concerns about the defense of the nearby city of Huliaipole. The loss of Rivnopillia, the analysts warn, could open a new axis of advance from the north and weaken Ukrainian positions in Zelenyi Hai and Vysoke (Chervone).

Anti-graft agency raids properties affiliated to Zelensky’s ex-business partner Tymur Mindich amid massive energy corruption investigation

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) launched large-scale raids in Kyiv on Nov. 10 as part of an investigation into a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme in the energy sector. Among the targets were properties linked to businessman Timur Mindich, a former partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky and co-founder of the Kvartal 95 production studio. Law enforcement officials say Mindich fled the country before the searches began.

According to NABU, the operation—conducted jointly with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office—uncovered a high-level criminal network that allegedly manipulated state-run energy enterprises, including Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power agency. Investigators say the group collected kickbacks worth 10–15% on each major contract and laundered as much as 100 million dollars through an office tied to the family of fugitive ex-lawmaker Andrii Derkach, who is now serving as a Russian senator.

Officials familiar with the case identified two key suspects: Ihor Myroniuk, a former adviser to then–Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, and Dmytro Basov, a former prosecutor and head of Energoatom’s security department. NABU claims the two effectively controlled the company’s procurement system and derailed critical infrastructure projects for profit.

Leaked audio recordings released by NABU allegedly capture Myroniuk, nicknamed “Roket,” dismissing the need to reinforce transformer substations as “a waste of money.” The tapes also refer to code names “Karlson” and “Professor,” which investigators say belong to Mindich and Halushchenko, respectively.

Halushchenko, who served as energy minister from 2021 to 2025 and is now justice minister, was also searched as part of the probe. NABU says the group’s corruption schemes delayed defense projects worth about 4 billion hryvnias (95 million dollars)—just as Russia was intensifying attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid.

Current Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said Energoatom operates independently from her ministry but pledged to review the findings once the investigation concludes.

Mindich has faced growing scrutiny in recent months. Ukrainian media have reported that he expanded his influence in the banking and energy sectors, allegedly holding sway over Sense Bank, now state-owned. In June, his relative Leonid Mindich was detained while attempting to flee the country and later charged with embezzling 16 million dollars from the regional utility Kharkivoblenergo.

The NABU’s latest operation underscores Ukraine’s ongoing struggle to root out entrenched corruption within its strategic industries—even as it continues to fight a full-scale war with Russia.

Who is Tymur Mindich?

Timur Mindich, a businessman reportedly at the center of a major corruption investigation, is a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky and has business interests across multiple sectors.

Mindich, a co-owner of Zelensky’s Kvartal 95 production company, has allegedly leveraged his personal ties with the president to expand his influence and wealth, according to several journalist investigations.

National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) began investigating Mindich’s activities, which contributed to attempts by authorities in July to undermine the Bureau’s independence. On Nov. 10, NABU conducted searches in Kyiv in premises connected to Mindich, but sources said he had fled before they took place.

Politics

Mindich is believed to have significantly expanded his political and business reach in recent years. According to Ukrainska Pravda, he recommended that Zelensky appoint Oleksiy Chernyshov, who went on to hold several senior posts including Kyiv Oblast governor, regional development minister, and head of Naftogaz before becoming deputy prime minister. Chernyshov was dismissed in June 2025 after being charged with bribery and abuse of power.

Other officials allegedly linked to Mindich include Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrinchuk, and acting Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval. None of their ministries responded to requests for comment. NABU also searched premises associated with Halushchenko on November 10.

Business

Mindich’s business activities span several industries. NABU has reportedly investigated his links to drone manufacturer Fire Point, which has denied any connection to him. Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak has also accused Mindich of maintaining a stake in Russian diamond producer New Diamond Technology until 2024, despite the ongoing war. Following Zheleznyak’s report, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) opened an investigation into Mindich on suspicion of aiding the aggressor state.

Zheleznyak previously alleged that NABU was investigating Mindich in a 2 billion hryvnia ($48 million) embezzlement case tied to the Odesa Portside Plant, though the Bureau declined to comment.

Mindich’s influence reportedly extends into the media sector. A company linked to his former legal adviser, Yulia Drozdova, signed contracts worth more than 350 million hryvnias ($8.5 million) between 2022 and 2024 to produce content for Ukraine’s wartime TV marathon. He is also said to exert influence over the nationalized Sense Bank and the energy sector.

In June, NABU arrested his relative Leonid Mindich, who was attempting to flee the country, and charged him with embezzling $16 million from the regional electricity company Kharkivoblenergo. On Nov. 10, NABU confirmed it was investigating a major corruption scheme in the energy sector involving state nuclear company Energoatom — reportedly part of the same case.

Mindich was unavailable for comment, and the president’s press service did not respond to inquiries.

A long-time associate of Zelensky

Born in Dnipro, Mindich, 46, is a film producer and former business partner of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. He has ties to Israel, where he reportedly celebrated his birthday in September before returning briefly to Ukraine in October.

Mindich co-owned Kvartal 95 with Zelensky until the president transferred his shares after the 2019 election. He also co-owns Green Family Ltd, a Cyprus-based firm that helped establish film producrion companies in Russia.

Kolomoisky previously said Mindich introduced him to Zelensky. In 2019, RFE/RL reported that Zelensky drove an armored vehicle owned by Mindich. The businessman visited the President’s Office multiple times in 2020 and reportedly met with Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.

In 2021, Zelensky celebrated his birthday in Mindich’s apartment, according to the Schemes investigative project, and later that year, Mindich attended Yermak’s birthday celebration at the presidential residence in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Record number of Ukrainians received temporary protection in the EU in September 2025

In September 2025, the European Union recorded the highest number of monthly temporary protection decisions for Ukrainians since 2023, according to Eurostat. The surge followed Ukraine’s decision to reopen its borders to men aged 18 to 22.

EU member states granted 79,205 new temporary protection decisions in September, a 49% increase compared to August 2025 and the highest total since August 2023.

Eurostat linked the rise to Ukraine’s August policy change that allowed young men to travel abroad, though it did not confirm whether they made up most of the new beneficiaries. By the end of September, the total number of Ukrainians under temporary protection in the EU had risen by 49,555, or 1.2%.

Poland saw the largest increase (+12,960, or +1.3%), followed by Germany (+7,585, or +0.6%) and Czechia (+3,455, or +0.9%). France was the only country to register a decline (-240, or -0.4%).

Relative to population size, Czechia hosted the highest proportion of Ukrainians under temporary protection (35.7 per 1,000 residents), followed by Poland (27.6) and Estonia (25.5), compared with an EU average of 9.6 per 1,000.

Over 98% of those under temporary protection are Ukrainian citizens. Of them, 44% are women, 31% are minors, and 25% are adult men. The largest Ukrainian communities are in Germany (over 1.2 million, 28.3% of the EU total), Poland (over 1 million, 23.5%), and Czechia (about 389,000, 9%).