Umerov asked the FBI director to put pressure on NABU in the investigation of the Mindich case – media

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary Rustem Umerov, during talks with FBI Director Kash Patel, allegedly asked him to influence NABU in the investigation into the case of businessman Timur Mindich—a case in which Umerov himself is reportedly a subject.

This is reported by Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (“Mirror Weekly”), citing sources.

“The meeting between Umerov and Patel—at which the NSDC secretary arrived together with SBU Deputy Head Oleksandr Poklad—was organized through Umerov’s Turkish channels. They discussed a desired outcome whereby the FBI would not provide expert, investigative, or other professional assistance to NABU in the Mindich case,” the outlet writes.

It is worth noting that Western media had previously also written about a meeting between Umerov and Patel. But if Dzerkalo Tyzhnia is correct that SBU Deputy Head Oleksandr Poklad was also present, then this conversation could hardly have been Umerov’s own initiative and most likely took place on the instruction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the same time, the publication does not indicate what Umerov may have promised the Americans in return for help in the Mindich case, or whether he offered, for example, concessions by Kyiv related to the peace plan.

As a reminder, NABU detective Ruslan Magamedrasulov previously said that Ukraine’s top leadership could become implicated in the Mindich corruption case.

The Washington Post has also reported that Umerov earlier met secretly in the United States with FBI Director Patel.