The scandal surrounding the business trip of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov is gaining momentum. According to journalists from Dzerkal Tyzhnia, the country's leadership is resorting to unofficial negotiations with the minister himself in order to get him out of a critical situation with the least losses - both for him and for the presidential administration.
As the publication reports, citing sources in the OP, businessman Timur Mindich, a long-time partner of Volodymyr Zelensky and co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio, was sent to Chernyshov. It is Mindich who must convince the minister to urgently return to Ukraine within the deadlines set by the president, which Volodymyr Zelensky announced the day before at a briefing.
In exchange for loyalty, Chernyshov is promised to “transfer” his case to another investigative body — likely one controlled by Bankova. This, according to journalists, could be done according to the “Tatarov scheme” — the already well-known procedure of changing the jurisdiction of a case from NABU to other bodies, where the level of control by the President’s Office is much higher.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that he has information about the preparation of serving the suspicion on Chernyshov. According to him, the corresponding summons has already been sent to the Cabinet Secretariat, and the service should take place on June 23. However, the minister is currently abroad.
On June 13, the NABU and SAPO reported on a large-scale corruption scheme in the construction sector, involving high-ranking officials. According to preliminary estimates, the state's losses may exceed one billion hryvnias.
According to journalist Mykhailo Tkach, two people from Chernyshov's close circle have been detained in the case: former State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development Vasyl Volodin and former advisor to the minister Maksym Horbatyuk. One of them, according to Tkach, has already tried to flee abroad.
Chernyshov himself was already on a foreign business trip at the time of the events, which, according to the official version, is a "planned visit to EU countries." On June 19, he published a post on social networks about a meeting with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola. At the same time, UP sources report that about a month ago, searches had already been carried out in the minister's home and office.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, Chernyshov's son left Ukraine on June 19, and his wife the next day. This has fueled suspicions that the minister's business trip may be a cover to avoid responsibility.
Against the backdrop of these events, the attempt to convince Chernyshov to return appears to be an attempt to maintain control of the process, prevent international publicity, and minimize reputational losses for the Office of the President.
