Lucrezia Ciotti Flash anticorruption in UkraineAuthorities have conducted searches in the energy sector as part of an investigation into alleged rigged procurements. A minister and a former associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky are also targeted.
Major investigation into the heart of the Ukrainian energy sector
In Ukraine A vast anti-corruption operation is underway that has shaken the national energy sector.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) conducted over 70 searches after a fifteen-month investigation, carried out together with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The action was born to unmask a alleged criminal network within the energy industry, already hit hard by Russian attacks since the 2022 invasion. According to Nabu, a “high-level criminal organization” that he allegedly obtained kickbacks through contracts with the major nuclear energy supplier, Energoatom, involving sums estimated around 100 million dollars.
Ukraine: Anti-corruption raid on energy contracts: Minister and former partner Zelensky searched
The operation comes after months of internal tensions between the government of Kiev and anti-corruption institutions. Last year, an attempt by President Zelensky to reduce the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office had sparked the largest popular protests since the beginning of the war, forcing the government to back down.
The searches, as reported by Ukrinform, would have also interested prominent figures such as Tymur Mindich, businessman and former associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as German Galushchenko, current Minister of Justice and former Minister of Energy. While confirming its cooperation with investigators, Energoatom has not commented on the merits of the charges.
"Any effective action against corruption is absolutely necessary”, Zelensky then reiterated in his evening speech, underlining that the “company cleanliness is a priority" is that "sentences must be foreseen" for those who are guilty of crimes.
The Minister of Energy Svitlana Grinchuk declared that the state energy sector “he is ready to undergo any check”. He added that "It is essential that investigations are conducted in a transparent manner”, drawing attention to the difficult balance between the need to ensure justice and that of protecting vital infrastructure.
The investigations, called “Operation Midas”, have already produced thousands of hours of recordings and significant documentary evidence.