Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday ordered sanctions on an associate and former business partner at the heart of a major corruption scandal rocking Kyiv during a time of war.
The move comes a day after Zelensky fired his energy and justice ministers over a giant money-laundering scheme in the energy sector, battered by Russian attacks for almost four years.
Zelensky has sought to distance himself from allies implicated in the scandal.
His office published a decree imposing "personal special economic" sanctions on Timur Mindich, a 46-year-old businessman, that include a freeze on his assets.
Investigators have named Mindich as the mastermind of the plot, who they say saw $100 million in funds from the energy sector siphoned off.
The decree also imposed sanctions on another businessman, Oleksandr Tsukermann and ordered their state awards to be revoked, assets frozen and imposed travel and business restrictions.
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