Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired his Energy and Justice ministers over their alleged involvement in a $100 million corruption scheme in the country's energy sector. Svitlana Grynchuk and Herman Halushchenko submitted their resignations on Wednesday following a 15-month investigation by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau into kickbacks at state nuclear operator Energoatom.
The probe uncovered a bribery network forcing contractors to pay kickbacks of 10 to 15 percent on payments. Investigators identified seven suspects, including businessman Timur Mindich, who co-founded Zelenskyy's former TV production company Kvartal 95. Mindich, allegedly the scheme's mastermind, reportedly fled Ukraine hours before investigators arrived at his Kyiv apartment.
Zelenskyy called for personal sanctions against Mindich and promised accountability. «Right now, it is extremely difficult for everyone in Ukraine – enduring power outages, Russian strikes and losses. It is absolutely unacceptable that, amid all this, there are also some corruption schemes in the energy sector,» he said. Both dismissed ministers denied wrongdoing. Grynchuk stated on social media: «Within the scope of my professional activities there were no violations of the law.»
Political Crisis Deepens
The scandal threatens to become a turning point for Zelenskyy's presidency, according to Ukrainian Truth editor Sevgil Musaieva. Anti-corruption activists, opposition politicians and army veterans have urged decisive action beyond ministerial dismissals. «In the short term, people need to see real accountability and action, not words,» Musaieva wrote on social media.
The affair also exposes tensions in Ukraine's anti-corruption fight. In July, Zelenskyy approved legislation weakening the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, sparking protests of several thousand demonstrators outside his office chanting «shame» and «veto the law». He later backed down and restored the agency's independence. A prominent Nabu detective involved in the Energoatom investigation was arrested in July on charges his lawyer calls «political imprisonment».
The corruption revelations come as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Oleksandr Abakumov, head of Nabu's investigating team, defended the probe: «This isn't a story about corruption in Ukraine. It's about how the country is struggling with corruption, fighting with corruption.» Ukraine's EU candidate status depends on credible anti-corruption reforms.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
