Fire Point says it's being discredited by 'Mindich tapes,' insists on confirming their authenticity

Fire Point co-owner Denys Shtilerman has said that the published "Mindich tapes" are an attempt to discredit the company, insisting on the need to verify their authenticity and asking to be informed whether these recordings are materials of a criminal proceeding.

On Thursday, he published on X the text of the company’s official appeal to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

According to the document, the company believes that the published information may discredit its activities and create associations with people involved in a criminal proceeding. Fire Point LLC also says that the dissemination of such materials without official claims from law enforcement agencies negatively affects the company’s reputation and the fulfillment of state contracts.

"Such dissemination of false information about the activities of Fire Point LLC, as one of the largest defense companies in Ukraine, causes extremely negative consequences both for the company and for the state’s defense capability as a whole, especially given that this information has not been properly confirmed and is manipulative in nature," the appeal reads.

According to the company, "the unreliability of the information is indicated, among other things, by the clearly inflated amounts of cash inflows to our company that are discussed by the participants in the recordings. In particular, the publication mentions the allocation of UAH 311 billion to the company, which is absolutely untrue, since Fire Point LLC’s sales revenue for 2025 amounted to UAH 29.324 billion, more than ten times less than stated in the publications. Information about our financial indicators is contained in the company’s official reporting."

The document stresses that "given this, there are reasonable grounds to believe that this information may have been edited or distorted, and expert examination is necessary to confirm its authenticity."

"Another public discrediting campaign may be connected with the use of materials from the pre-trial investigation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine in the said criminal proceeding. At the same time, such public discrediting, without official claims from law enforcement or regulatory authorities, has a very negative impact on the company’s reputation, on its ability to perform state contracts properly and quickly, and also deprives our company of the right to effective defense and comprehensive communication regarding such negative information," the appeal reads.

The company asks NABU to report whether the published recordings are part of the materials of the criminal proceeding and, if confirmed, to provide them for examination.

"In order to prevent manipulation and damage to the company’s reputation, we ask you to publish all available mentions of the company, its employees or shareholders contained in protocols or other evidence held by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. I ask that the owner of Fire Point LLC, D.L. Shtilerman, be questioned as a witness in the said criminal proceeding in order to provide full and detailed answers to all possible questions," Shtilerman added.

The appeal states that "Fire Point LLC is a leading developer of Ukrainian weapons systems. The company’s products are the most widespread and effective strike assets among mid- and deep-strike UAVs, which carry out daily strikes and destroy enemy forces and assets on the battlefield and deep in the rear. The company is also the first Ukrainian developer that, in a very short time, managed to create its own cruise and ballistic missiles. Moreover, the company plays a key role in implementing the Freya project, which envisages the creation of a pan-European ballistic shield involving our FP-7 product and products of leading European companies."

As reported, the online publication Ukrainska Pravda published the first part of conversations documented by NABU as part of the Midas case in the apartment of currently sanctioned businessman Timur Mindich, who is suspected of corruption in the energy sector, with several people: former first assistant to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Serhiy Shefir; Natalia, who allegedly manages the construction of mansions in the Dynasty cooperative; and current NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov.

In particular, Mindich and former defense minister, now NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, discussed the potential sale of a stake in weapons manufacturer Fire Point to investors. The conversation suggests that Mindich and Umerov discussed the sale of 33% for $600 million, of which $300 million the investor was allegedly ready to invest in development, and another $300 million was a cash-out, that is, money that would go directly to shareholders, among whom Mindich himself could have been.

In November 2025, Fire Point co-owner and chief designer Denys Shtilerman confirmed that businessman Timur Mindich, a suspect in the Ukrainian energy corruption case, had claimed 50% of the company’s shares.