Corruption scandal involves Zelensky's key allies

2025-11-12 19:39:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukraine's energy and justice ministers have resigned following a major corruption investigation into the country's energy sector. President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Wednesday for the dismissal of Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko.

On Monday, anti-corruption authorities charged several people with orchestrating an embezzlement scheme in the energy sector worth about $100 million (£76 million), including the national nuclear operator Enerhoatom. Some of those implicated in the scandal are or have been close associates of Zelensky.

Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and other key ministers and officials are alleged to have received payments from contractors building fortifications against Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. Among those allegedly involved are former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and Timur Mindich - a businessman and co-owner of Zelensky's former television studio, Kvartal95. He is said to have since fled the country.

Halushchenko said he would defend himself against the charges, while Grynchuk said on social media: “Within the scope of my professional activities there were no violations of the law.” Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) said the investigation, which lasted 15 months and included 1,000 hours of audio recordings, revealed the participation of several members of the Ukrainian government.

According to Nabu, the individuals involved systematically collected bribes from Enerhoatom contractors worth between 10% and 15% of the contract values. Anti-corruption authorities also said that large sums were laundered in the scheme and published photographs of bags full of cash. The funds were then transferred outside Ukraine, including to Russia, Nabu said.

Prosecutors alleged that the proceeds of the scheme were laundered through a Kiev office linked to the family of former Ukrainian lawmaker and current Russian senator Andriy Derkach. Nabu has been releasing new excerpts of its investigation and wiretaps every day, and on Tuesday promised more would come out. The scandal is unfolding against the backdrop of escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, including substations that supply electricity to nuclear power plants.

It will also shed light on corruption in Ukraine, which remains endemic despite the work of Nabu and Sap in the 10 years since their creation. In July, nationwide protests erupted against changes that limited the independence of Nabu and Sap. Ukrainians feared that the nation could lose its coveted EU candidate status, which was granted on the condition that it wage a credible fight against corruption.

Kiev's European partners also expressed grave alarm at the decision, with ambassadors from the G7 group of nations expressing a desire to discuss the issue with the Ukrainian leadership./ CNA, translated by BBC