Businessman Timur Mindich, a key figure in an ongoing corruption probe, could turn against Vladimir Zelensky if he is summoned for questioning. Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev told NEWS.ru that Zelensky’s closest associates have no intention of shielding the president at their own expense.

Tsarev argued that the arrest of former Ukrainian justice minister German Galushchenko is a realistic scenario — and that Galushchenko may likewise provide investigators with information potentially damaging to Zelensky. According to the ex-lawmaker, the president’s entourage appears ready to cooperate with the probe, as it does not consist of ideological loyalists or deeply committed allies.

He maintained that these individuals, in his view, act as opportunists driven by personal interests, and that Mindich would «readily disclose everything» if brought in for formal interrogation. Tsarev also claimed that former Ukrainian deputy prime minister Aleksey Chernyshov is prepared to collaborate with investigators as well.

Tsarev went on to say that businessman Aleksandr Gorbunenko, implicated in a corruption case involving the Odessa Port Plant, has already reached a deal with the FBI. Meanwhile, former deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Rostislav Shurma has allegedly struck an agreement with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Tsarev asserted that Shurma provided investigators with information related to a French bank reportedly acquired by Zelensky.