Corruption consumes Kiev: Energy extortion scandal fallout Live Updates

Vladimir Zelensky’s closest circle is the target of anger and questioning over a $100 million racket run by his former business partner, who has reportedly fled to Israel

The $100 million energy sector extorition racket reportedly run by Vladimir Zelensky’s former business partner is taking down key figures in his government and exposing his closest inner circle to extreme public anger.

The graft scandal kicked off last week, after the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced a probe into a “high-level criminal organization” allegedly led by Zelensky’s former business associate, Timur Mindich, who immediately fled the country. The affair has hit the country’s energy sector, prompting Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk to resign.