Corruption in Energoatom: another suspect in custody

Dmytro Basov, Executive Director for Security at Ukraine's state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom, has been remanded in custody for 60 days, with bail set at UAH 40 million (approximately US$1 million), following allegations of large-scale corruption in the energy sector. The decision has been handed down by Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court.

Source: Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne

Details: Basov is referred to as "Tenor" in the tapes released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

During the hearing, Basov's lawyer, Vitalii Naumov, denied his client's involvement in embezzlement and disputed the existence of any organised criminal group connected to the theft of funds.

Naumov also argued that the bail amount is "unfair" and urged the court either to apply an alternative pre-trial measure or to substantially reduce the bail.

Basov himself also rejected accusations of belonging to a criminal organisation, calling the bail sum "unbearable" but saying he hopes that "someone might pay it".

Background:

• The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has released the third part of Operation Midas, its investigation into a large-scale corruption scheme at Energoatom.
• Suspects in the NABU investigation, who were reportedly shielded by government officials, laundered tens of millions of dollars from Energoatom.
• According to NABU, the money-laundering scheme was somewhat crude: businesses that wanted to sell goods or services to Energoatom had to pay a 10-15% kickback or face non-payment and removal from the supplier list – a mechanism dubbed the "tollgate", since you either share your margin or you are left standing at closed doors.
• The ringleader is alleged to be Tymur Mindich (referred to as "Karlson" in the NABU files), a businessman and co-owner of Kvartal 95, the Ukrainian TV production company that Volodymyr Zelenskyy founded before he became president. Mindich left Ukraine just hours before the NABU search began.
• The offices of former energy minister Herman Halushchenko ("Professor" or "Hera" on the tapes) were also searched on 10 November. Economichna Pravda sources say that Halushchenko is still an influential figure in the sector through the current energy minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, and the many managers that he personally installed prior to his dismissal in July 2025.
• Zelenskyy's close friend Tymur Mindich is alleged to have exerted influence over former energy minister Herman Halushchenko and former defence minister Rustem Umierov. The allegation was made by the prosecution during the hearing of a petition brought by a NABU detective seeking the detention of Ihor Myroniuk, another suspect in the investigation.
• The prosecution stated that Mindich built connections with Halushchenko through his links to Zelenskyy and acted as a patron for Halushchenko in relation to Zelenskyy.
• Herman Halushchenko has been suspended as justice minister following NABU's high-profile investigation into corruption at Energoatom.

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