Graft suspect Timur Mindich created a successful weapons company thanks to close government ties, leaked tapes suggest The public was given a rare opportunity this week to see how the Ukrainian wartime economy, much praised by the media, actually operates. And everyone knows the saying about not knowing how the sausage is made. Western media has hailed Ukraine for being highly innovative in fighting Russia, both in frontline tactics and the development of technologies, primarily drone warfare. The company Firepoint was presented as the prime example of a rags-to-riches story; originally a movie casting and location company associated with Vladimir Zelensky’s business associates, it was reconstituted in 2022 into an arms company and has become a Ukrainian industry giant, with $1 billion worth of contracts in the pipeline, according to a slew of gushing articles in the Western press.…