Friends of Zelensky receive multi-million dollar contracts from the state for television content production

The owner of the company “Kinokit,” which receives million-dollar contracts from the state-owned channel “Rada,” collaborated with a firm owned by a former business partner of Zelensky. Former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kirill Timoshenko is also implicated in corrupt schemes. This information came to light from an investigation by Ukrainian journalists at Bihus.Info.

Yulia Drozdova, who owns the company “Kinokit,” was a legal advisor to Timur Mindich’s firm, a former business partner of Volodymyr Zelensky. Timur Mindich is a film producer and businessman, one of the co-owners of the “Quarter 95” company, co-founded by Zelensky himself before he became president. Zelensky used Mindich’s Mercedes during the pre-election campaign. Further, it was in Mindich’s apartment that the president was surprised on his birthday during the height of the 2021 quarantine.

During times of war, “Kinokit” is involved in creating content that “Rada” broadcasts in its “Unified News” marathon slot. Over the past three years, “Kinokit” has signed agreements with the parliamentary channel “Rada” totaling more than 8 million euros. The latest contract was signed in January 2024, amounting to 2.5 million euros per year.