Advisor to head of Ukrainian President's Office calls corruption in energy sector "legacy of Kremlin"

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - 13 November, 18:00

Mykhailo Podoliak. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, has called the exposed corruption scheme in Ukraine's energy sector a "logical echo of the past".

Source: Podoliak in Telegram

Quote: "The investigation of the corruption scheme in the energy sector is something to be expected, unfortunately. It is a logical echo of the past, in which the Kremlin spent decades building a system to keep Ukraine within its sphere of influence. One of its primary tools was corruption, and remnants of this mechanism still exist. However, the situation today is fundamentally different."

Details: According to Podoliak, "the real news is not the fact of corruption itself".

The most significant aspect is that the system of independent anti-corruption institutions established after 2014 is working. Podoloiak pointed out that the start of this investigation, the extensive investigative work, and the need for fair verdicts is being emphasised at the highest authorities are all a clear indication of Ukraine's transformation.

Quote: "Of course, Russian propaganda will use this as evidence of Ukraine's incompetence. The reality is that the state is not collapsed, but rather that a new institutional framework is being tested. It is rare for countries to identify, investigate, and discuss such cases openly during the war. We are taking the difficult, painful, but essential steps towards integrating with the European Union."

Background:

On the morning of 10 November, it was revealed that detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) had conducted searches at the homes of Tymur Mindich and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko (who has been suspended as of 12 November). Ukrainska Pravda sources also reported that Mindich left Ukraine hours before the searches.
That same day, NABU reported that they had exposed a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector and released audio recordings.
At first Zelenskyy reacted broadly to corruption in Ukraine's energy sector. He stated on 12 November that Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, who were on the "NABU tapes", must step down from their positions.
On 12 November, the Cabinet of Ministers under Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko adopted a decision to submit a proposal to the National Security and Defence Council to impose sanctions against Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman.

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