By Independent News Roundup
A probe by a Western-backed anti-corruption agency, that Vladimir Zelensky unsuccessfully tried to take control of, has forced the resignation of his justice and energy ministers.
On Wednesday, Justice Minister German Galushchenko tendered his resignation, followed by Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk hours later, with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko confirming the officials’ decisions.
The resignations followed a probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) targeting a “high-level criminal organization” allegedly headed by a former business associate of Zelensky, Timur Mindich.
22:17 GMT
NABU investigators discussed the allegations against Mindich with a new FBI liaison in Kiev, ZN.UA reported, adding that the FBI officer maintains regular contact with the bureau and has an office inside its headquarters.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described the unfolding corruption scandal as “extremely unfortunate,” urging Kiev to act “fast and take it very seriously.”
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada, Kallas said there was “no room for corruption, especially now,” as “the people’s money” should be going “to the front lines.”
Timur Mindich, the suspected ringleader at the center of the NABU’s probe, remains at large, the agency has reported, alleging that the businessman had been tipped off and left for Israel before the authorities could detain him.
Mindich has long maintained close personal and business relations with Vladimir Zelensky, which date back to the time when the two ran the Kvartal 95 film production company.
Since Zelensky rose to power in 2019, Mindich has expanded his reach over several lucrative sectors, including energy.
Mindich is understood to have introduced Zelensky to Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky. The latter bankrolled Zelensky’s presidential campaign, but ended up behind bars on embezzlement and fraud charges in 2023.
In the wake of the corruption scandal at Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power company, Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko has announced the suspension of Energoatom Vice President Jakob Hartmut. She added that the cabinet had “instructed the interim acting Chairman of [Energoatom’s] board to suspend the chief advisor to [the company’s] president” Dmitry Basov, as well as several other senior employees who are under suspicion.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has said on X that during a meeting with his counterparts from Germany, France, Italy, and the EU in Canada, he assured them that “those implicated in corruption schemes will be held accountable.”
The Ukrainian diplomat also took the opportunity to ask Western backers for yet more military and energy assistance for Kiev.
In April 2022, the European Commission set up the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, whose stated goal is to prop up the country’s power generation.
According to the Commission’s estimates, at least €2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) has since been provided to Kiev through this facility, as well as through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and several others.
In August 2025, the EU pledged to mobilize €500 million, signing a guarantee agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Commenting on the corruption scandal in the neighboring country, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that the loss of Western taxpayers’ money to the rampant corruption in Ukraine is becoming more and more “obvious” to Kiev’s backers.
The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands has asked Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof if he is “still ready to pour billions into Ukraine after Zelensky’s close ally Timur Mindich has been accused of a $100 million corruption scheme?” The X post is accompanied by a meme suggesting that the Dutch government might opt to “help [the] corrupt ukrainian junta,” instead of addressing domestic social issues.
Long-time Financial Times Kiev correspondent Christopher Miller has noted on X that while Zelensky’s office promised to impose sanctions on Timur Mindich, the latter somehow “managed to flee Ukraine” already.
An anti-corruption court in Kiev has placed another suspect in the graft investigation, Lesya Ustimenko, in pre-trial custody for 60 days, local media has reported. She is suspected of working in the ring’s “back office” and helping launder some 145 million hryvnia ($3,4 million).
The NABU investigation – codenamed Operation Midas – lasted about 15 months and involved 1,000 hours of wiretapping, the authorities have stated. During the course of the probe, multiple bags of cash were seized. According to investigators, the suspects – five of whom have been apprehended – manipulated contracts at Energoatom, extracting kickbacks worth 10-15% of contract values. The ring is believed to have amassed around $100 million.
.svg){kind=logo}
