Suspect in Operation Midas returns to Ukraine days before his arrest

Mykhailo Tkach, Iryna Balachuk, Anna Yaryna — 13 November, 09:32

Ihor Fursenko, Energoatom's executive director for physical protection and security, in court on 12 November. Photo: Suspilne

Ihor Fursenko, Energoatom's executive director for physical protection and security and a suspect in the Operation Midas known as "Ryoshyk" in the NABU files, returned from a two-week holiday in the Maldives five days before the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine ordered him into custody in a corruption case over Energoatom contracts.

Source: Investigative article by Mykhailo Tkach for Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that the suspects whose property was searched on 11 November knew that some operations were being planned as far back as Friday 7 November: "We need to clean up by Monday," one participant in the scheme wrote to another.

Rulings related to investigative actions in Operation Midas began to be uploaded to the court registry on 7 November. Theoretically, the participants could have accessed this information through law enforcement officials under their control.

Quote: "According to Ukrainska Pravda sources among law enforcement, one of the participants in the case returned on Saturday [8 November – ed.] from a two-week holiday in the Maldives… This is the same individual who complained: 'carrying US$1.6 million isn't exactly fun,' Sources say this was the chief accountant of the criminal organisation, aka Roshyk."

More details: According to a journalist of Ukrainska Pravda, Fursenko was "either not warned in time or not considered worth saving".

On 12 November, Ihor Fursenko, a suspect in the Energoatom embezzlement scheme, was remanded in custody until 8 January 2026 by the High Anti-Corruption Court, with the option of bail in the amount of UAH 95 million (about US$2,3 million).

Prosecutors from SAPO have sought bail of UAH 254 million (about US$6 million), the largest amount requested so far for suspects in this case.

Background:

Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that on the morning of 10 November, NABU detectives conducted searches at the home of Tymur Mindich, a businessman and co-owner of Kvartal 95, the Ukrainian TV production company Volodymyr Zelenskyy founded before he became president.
According to the same sources, Mindich left Ukraine hours before the search began.
NABU confirmed that, together with SAPO, it is conducting a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.

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