Ukraine Suspends Justice Minister as Massive Energoatom Corruption Probe Unfolds

Ukraine’s Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko has been suspended following a sweeping investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) into large-scale corruption at the state nuclear energy company Energoatom. The decision was announced by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko after an extraordinary cabinet meeting on November 11. Deputy Justice Minister for European Integration Liudmyla Suhak will temporarily assume Halushchenko’s duties.

Halushchenko, who previously served as energy minister, said he supported the decision to suspend him during the ongoing investigation, calling it a “civilised and correct course of action.” He added that he intends to defend himself through legal means and present his position once the inquiry concludes.

The investigation, known as Operation Midas, is one of Ukraine’s most significant anti-corruption cases in recent years. It focuses on a sophisticated kickback and money-laundering network within Energoatom that allegedly funneled tens of millions of dollars from the company through shell businesses and corrupt officials. NABU claims that private firms seeking contracts with Energoatom were forced to pay bribes amounting to 10–15% of their contracts, a practice referred to by participants as the “barrier.” Companies refusing to cooperate were denied payment or excluded from future tenders.

According to NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the alleged scheme was orchestrated by Tymur Mindich, a businessman and former co-owner of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s television company Kvartal 95. Mindich, identified in NABU materials by the alias “Karlson,” reportedly left Ukraine just hours before raids began on November 10.

The investigation has so far implicated several high-profile figures, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, former Defense Minister and current National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, and Halushchenko himself. Prosecutors allege that Mindich exerted influence over both Halushchenko and Umerov through personal and political connections.

NABU’s recordings, released as part of the case, capture coded conversations among those involved. In the tapes, Mindich, Halushchenko (“Professor” or “Hera”), Ihor Myroniuk (“Rocket”), and Dmytro Basov (“Tenor”) discuss payments, contracts, and bribes. Myroniuk, a former adviser to Halushchenko and ex-deputy head of the State Property Fund, allegedly played a central role in collecting kickbacks from contractors, while Basov, Energoatom’s former security chief, managed the company’s physical protection department.

Journalistic investigations by Radio Liberty and Skhemy identified all suspects charged under Operation Midas. Alongside Mindich, Myroniuk, Basov, and businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman (“Sugarman”), others named include Ihor Fursenko (“Roshyk”), Lesia Ustymenko, and Liudmyla Zorina. NABU confirmed that five of the eight accused are in custody, while Mindich and Tsukerman fled abroad.

The probe revealed that kickbacks and laundered funds were processed through a so-called “back office” in central Kyiv, allegedly linked to relatives of pro-Russian fugitive lawmaker Andrii Derkach. Tsukerman is said to have managed these operations, which laundered up to 100 million dollars. The Anti-Corruption Bureau claims Mindich oversaw the activities from an upper floor of a building on Hrushevsky Street, where both he and President Zelensky reportedly own apartments.

Further evidence shows that members of the group discussed manipulating contracts for constructing defensive structures around energy facilities, dismissing them as a “waste of money” before allegedly awarding the projects to their own controlled companies. In other instances, they discussed increasing the kickback rate from 10 to 15 percent.

Halushchenko’s residence was searched as part of the November 10 raids. Sources told Economichna Pravda that despite his dismissal as energy minister in July 2025, he retained substantial informal influence within the energy sector through the current minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, and other officials he had previously appointed.

At a court hearing on the detention of suspect Ihor Myroniuk, prosecutors claimed that Mindich leveraged his proximity to President Zelensky to secure protection from Halushchenko and other ministers. They also suggested that some funds were diverted abroad, including to Switzerland and Israel.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshov, referred to in the recordings as “Che Guevara,” was accused of accepting bribes totaling 1.2 million dollars and 100,000 euros. He was dismissed from office earlier this year after being charged with illicit enrichment.

Although former Defense Minister Umerov denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he canceled procurement contracts linked to Mindich due to poor-quality goods, the revelations have intensified public concern over high-level corruption in Ukraine’s energy sector.

Sources:

• The Kyiv Independent
• Ukrainska Pravda
• Kyiv Post
• RBC-Ukraine
• Radio Liberty