Former Ukrenergo Chief Accused of Fraud to Remain in Pre-Trial Detention Until Christmas, Court Rules

A Kyiv court ruled on Wednesday that former Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytsky will remain in pre-trial detention until Dec. 26, 2025 – his bail is set at Hr. 13,730,000 (over $327,000.)

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation announced Kudrytsky’s detention in a press release on Tuesday, on the grounds of his alleged involvement in a 2018 plot to embezzle the equivalent of $1.6 million from state funds.

As per AFP, Kyiv’s Pechersk District court described their decision to uphold his detention as a “preventive measure.”

Kudrytsky, meanwhile, criticized the ruling as “absurd and unfounded.”

The authorities claim that Kudrytsky, who served as CEO of the state energy company between 2020 and 2024, participated in a fraudulent scheme organized by Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych in 2018.

Kudrytsky, who was then Ukrenergo’s deputy director for investments, is alleged to have colluded with a private company to commit large-scale fraud. If found guilty, he could face up to 12 years in prison as well as severe financial penalties.

However, some Ukrainian politicians and officials see the ruling as political. Parliament’s Anti-Corruption Committee Chair Anastasia Radina reacted to the court’s judgment with scorn.

“At the moment, the case looks like nothing more than pressure,” she wrote on Facebook.

Radina, who attended Wednesday’s hearing, noted that the prosecution has not yet presented any evidence.

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The mayor of the border city of Trostianets called it a “difficult night” after the attack.

“The State Bureau of Investigation is not only demonstrating its incapacity, but also successfully advocating the need for its reset,” she added.

When Kudrytskyi was fired from his position as CEO in 2024, Ukrenergo board members Daniel Dobbeni and Peder Andreasen resigned in protest – claiming that his dismissal was political.

As the temperature drops and Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth winter, the Kremlin has revived its familiar strategy of targeting energy infrastructure to cripple essential services for the military and civilians alike.