The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has begun a hearing to determine pretrial measures for former Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov in an illicit enrichment case. Prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) are requesting his detention for two months, with bail offered as an alternative at UAH 55 million—an amount corresponding to the alleged illicit gains. The hearing has been postponed until 16:00 on November 18, and the court has not yet reached a decision.
During the hearing, a SAPO prosecutor revealed new details of the high-profile case. According to the prosecutor, meetings between employees of Timur Mindich's "back office" and Oleksiy Chernyshov were dubbed the "Intellectual Club" to maintain secrecy. Over the office's entire period of operation, Chernyshov allegedly received $1.2 million and 96,000 euros there.
The money was allegedly transferred through Chernyshov's wife, Svitlana—who is referred to in recordings as "Professor"—at a medical beauty center in central Kyiv. The center is reportedly owned by the family of Mindich's financier, Oleksandr Tsukerman ("Sugarman"). Data found on Svitlana Chernyshova's phone included correspondence and calls with her husband and Tsukerman regarding arrangements for meetings to hand over new tranches. Chernyshov had deleted this information from his own phone.
The prosecutor noted that portions of the recorded dialogues indicate the involvement of Chernyshov and Tsukerman in other criminal schemes. On February 11, 2025, the individuals involved allegedly discussed a meeting of the "Intellectual Club," which was to be attended by Chernyshov, "Electronik" (Fire Point chief designer Denys Shtilerman), "Seryozha the judge," and "some Polish individual."
Following his dismissal from the post of Vice Prime Minister in July of this year, Chernyshov submitted an updated asset declaration but allegedly failed to disclose the funds received from the individuals involved in the NABU case.
The prosecutor cited several risks to the criminal proceedings, including the risk of flight (absconding), destruction of evidence, influencing witnesses, and the possibility of committing other criminal offenses. Chernyshov has left Ukraine more than 50 times during martial law, and his son resides permanently abroad. The prosecutor also noted that Chernyshov deleted the correspondence with his wife from his phone on the day the funds were allegedly transferred.
Chernyshov himself denied his guilt and involvement in the case. "I am not acquainted with most of the individuals involved, I have not seen them, and I do not know them. I have no contact with them and do not plan to communicate," — he stated in response to a question from an RBC-Ukraine journalist.
"I am not and cannot be part of any criminal organization. These suspicions are based solely on assumptions," — the former official added.
When asked if he identified himself in the recordings released by NABU, Chernyshov replied: "Let's put it this way. I want to ask. Do you not know who 'Che Guevara' is?". When the correspondent replied that he was suspected of being that person, Chernyshov said: "Well, I am Chernyshov. I'll tell you that much."
At the same time, he acknowledged: "The voice sounds like mine. I allow for the possibility of the dialogues. I also admit that I was at the specified address on the date in question. But an expert analysis is needed." He added that he does not remember the dialogues in the recordings and wants them to be "fully verified," "complete," and "not taken out of context."
"If anyone is afraid that I plan to flee, I want to emphasize — I am not planning to flee anywhere. I live in Ukraine. I am proud of this," — Chernyshov stressed.
He also stated: "I support the investigation at 'Energoatom,' but I cannot provide any testimony because I have no connection to that organization."
During the hearing, the HACC judge announced that a statement had been received from Oleksandr Savchenko, director of the state enterprise "Scientific Research Institute of Construction Production," expressing his willingness to act as a guarantor (post surety) for Chernyshov. Savchenko was present in the courtroom.
Chernyshov's lawyers requested temporary access to their client's phone to copy information, claiming that certain correspondence from early March allegedly did not exist. The judge left this motion without consideration.
Chernyshov is charged with illicit enrichment in connection with the embezzlement case at "Energoatom." NABU detectives have documented the transfer of over $1.2 million and nearly 100,000 euros in cash to him and his confidant. If convicted, the former vice prime minister faces 5 to 10 years in prison and a ban on holding certain positions for up to three years.
The case against Oleksiy Chernyshov is part of a large-scale NABU anti-corruption investigation codenamed "Midas," which centers on Timur Mindich — co-owner of the "Kvartal 95" studio and a former business partner of President Zelenskyy. According to investigators, Mindich organized the criminal scheme that forced "Energoatom" contractors to pay 10% to 15% in "kickbacks" for the opportunity to work with the state-owned company. Participants in the scheme referred to this practice as the "shlagbaum" (barrier or tollgate) — refusal to pay resulted in blocked payments or removal from the supplier list.
SAPO prosecutors have established that Mindich built his influence over the energy sector through personal connections with the president, acting as a patron for the then-Minister of Energy German Galushchenko before the head of state. According to the investigation, Mindich controlled financial flows in Ukraine's gas and energy sectors, while Galushchenko personally benefited from the businessman's patronage and utilized services for laundering criminally obtained funds.
On November 10, 2025, NABU conducted large-scale searches targeting Mindich, Galushchenko, and "Energoatom"; however, the businessman managed to leave Ukraine just hours before the operations began. Detectives documented the high-level criminal organization's activities over a 15-month period and collected over 1,000 hours of audio recordings. In the recordings released by NABU, individuals using the aliases "Karlson" (Mindich) and "Professor" discuss schemes for funneling funds. Among those detained are a former advisor to the Minister of Energy, the executive director for physical security at "Energoatom," and four employees from the money-laundering "back office."