Zelenskyy orders justice and energy ministers to step down amid Energoatom corruption investigation

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk must step down following an investigation into corruption in the energy sector. He has instructed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko to ensure that they submit resignation letters.

Source: an address by Zelenskyy

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that the energy sector must maintain "maximum integrity in all its processes" and that all anti-corruption investigations must receive full government support.

He added that the Cabinet of Ministers (Ukrainian government) will assist law enforcement and judicial authorities, while the management of the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom will be "cleansed and rebooted".

Quote: "I believe that the minister of justice and the minister of energy cannot remain in their posts. This is also a matter of trust. If there are accusations, they must be addressed. The decision to dismiss them from office is prompt and necessary. I have asked the prime minister of Ukraine to ensure that resignation letters are submitted by these ministers."

Details: Zelenskyy also urged members of parliament to support the resignations.

In addition, the president announced that the National Security and Defence Council will impose sanctions further to a government proposal against two individuals implicated in the Energoatom case investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and said he would sign a decree to apply these sanctions.

Zelenskyy emphasised that during wartime, it is "absolutely unacceptable" for corruption schemes to persist in the energy sector.

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.
• On the morning of 12 November, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that Herman Halushchenko had been suspended as justice minister.
• In one episode on the NABU tapes, Zelenskyy called Halushchenko after receiving a message from Mindich.

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