Ukraine Hit by Mega-Corruption Scandal: 7 Suspects, 2 Fugitives, Ministers Under Fire

A major corruption scandal and a string of high-level accusations have rocked Kyiv, raising fresh questions about accountability in Ukraine nearly four years into Russia’s invasion.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has revealed interim results from its high-profile Operation Midas, which targets a $100-million kickback scheme in the state nuclear power company Energoatom.

NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said top company officials demanded illicit commissions of 10-15% from contractors.

Investigators say seven individuals are under suspicion, five have been detained, and two – including the alleged mastermind, Timur Mindich – have fled Ukraine.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, identified in NABU recordings as “Che Guevara,” faces a notice of suspicion for illicit enrichment.

Authorities say the group transferred $1.2 million and nearly €100,000 in cash, sometimes in offices or even in a medical clinic owned by a network member. One episode reportedly saw $500,000 handed to Chernyshov’s wife after he became a suspect.

Ministers under fire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called on his justice and energy ministers to resign over the scandal, citing the country’s war-battered power sector.

Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, a former energy minister, was suspended from his duties earlier Wednesday after NABU recordings suggested he may have helped Mindich launder money.

Other Topics of Interest

NABU Uncovers $4M Corruption Scheme at Energoatom Hydropower Project

NABU and SAPO on Tuesday announced suspicions against two individuals in a corruption case involving the Tashlyk Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant. Investigators allege that equipment procurement contracts were manipulated through a controlled foreign intermediary, inflating costs by almost Hr.170 million and causing major losses to the state-owned energy company Energoatom.

Halushchenko’s former adviser, Ihor Myroniuk, who was also involved in the scheme, was ordered to be held in custody for 60 days or released on bail of Hr.126 million ($3 million) by the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine amid an ongoing corruption investigation.

Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, who took over in July, remains in office but has said Energoatom, the state nuclear operator at the center of the probe, is cooperating with investigators.

Zelensky said both ministers should step down.

“The minister of justice and the minister of energy cannot remain in their positions,” he said in a video posted to social media.

Mindich, a close ally of Zelensky and co-owner of his former comedy production company Kvartal 95, fled Ukraine shortly before the allegations became public.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Kyiv would impose personal sanctions on Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman, another businessman charged in the case.

In court Tuesday, an anti-corruption prosecutor said Mindich had “orchestrated the scheme,” underscoring his central role.

Zelensky has not publicly commented on Mindich, while the production company said the probe was not “related to the work of the studio.”

Political fallout

The scandal has already forced a shake-up at Energoatom, the state-run nuclear energy company. The government dissolved the supervisory board after criticism that its members, including ex-Economy Minister Tymofiy Mylovanov, allowed corruption to flourish.

“Everything became bureaucratic… I demanded results, not explanations of processes. I was told I was toxic, biased, and ‘demanding the impossible,’” Mylovanov told Kyiv Post, reflecting frustration over the board’s inactivity. Kyiv Post sources say the lack of an independent supervisory board helped create a corrupt “back office” that effectively managed tenders worth tens of billions of hryvnias.

The scandal also highlights political tensions. NABU recordings suggest Mindich exerted influence over Halushchenko, even appearing in a call from President Zelensky. One excerpt records suspects casually discussing millions in cash:

“How did you carry the box?” – “It had a handle, like a laptop case. I later used it to carry $1.6 million, but carrying 1.6 in it – not much fun.”

Commentators warn that weak action against Mindich’s network could undermine government legitimacy during wartime. Economist Serhiy Fursa and philosopher Viktor Datsko have criticized the authorities’ muted response, saying it could threaten national stability.

“We cannot allow the Ukrainian president or the Ukrainian authorities to lose the remnants of legitimacy during wartime. We urgently need this. Otherwise, we face the risk of losing the state following the pattern of World War I – when desertion at the front combined with mass despair and political fragmentation. Therefore, the authorities must respond to NABU’s revelations appropriately. It’s in their interest – and ours, “ wrote investment banker and popular economist Serhiy Fursa.

Fursa and Datsko highlighted tensions dating back to the “cardboard protests,” which erupted after a pro-presidential parliamentary majority voted to limit NABU’s independence.

Many politicians linked the attack on NABU to the presidential office learning that Mindich was under surveillance. Analysts say the failed attempt to limit the bureau’s powers ultimately freed NABU to continue the investigation.

“I don’t know, of course, what Zelensky should do now to restore legitimacy even to the level of July’s rollback of anti-NABU laws… The weaker his position inside the country, the more indecent for our sovereignty the proposals some of our dear ‘allies’ will start pressing him with. It’s so obvious I can’t believe he doesn’t understand it. And I also can’t believe no one knew what these devils were up to. Because an adequate reaction is almost nonexistent,” notes philosopher Viktor Datsko.

The main question now is whether Zelensky will take decisive steps to hold Mindich’s group accountable – or appear to shield his allies.

So far, the president’s office has reacted weakly, and some Telegram channels linked to it continue to accuse NABU and SAPO of destabilizing Ukraine and even of “working with Russia.”

Some channels promise to leak compromising material on NABU, though it is unclear if this will affect the scandal.

NABU is releasing recordings gradually, about two per day, and Kyiv Post will continue to follow what may be the largest corruption case of Ukraine’s full-scale invasion era.