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Investigators uncover a vast network of bribes in energy and defense, centered on former associates and friends of the Ukrainian president.
One of the largest anti-corruption investigations in Ukraine since the start of the war has shaken the power structures in Kiev, including names directly linked to President Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle.
Investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have conducted over 70 inspections as part of the operation codenamed "Midas", following an investigation that has lasted more than 15 months. According to sources close to the investigation, the uncovered network includes senior officials in the energy and defense sectors, who are accused of money laundering, misuse of state funds and illicit enrichment.
At the center of the investigation are the current Minister of Justice, Herman Halushchenko, who previously headed the Ministry of Energy, as well as businessman Timur Mindich, co-owner of the famous Kvartal 95 studio, the company that brought Zelensky himself to the stage before he entered politics.
Searches at Halushchenko's home and the offices of the state-owned Energoatom company, which runs Ukraine's nuclear power plants, have led to the seizure of documents and electronic equipment related to major energy tenders. Meanwhile, Mindich is suspected of having left Ukraine several weeks ago and may currently be in Austria.
The investigation focuses on a widespread bribery scheme, where private companies contracted for energy and defense supplies allegedly paid up to 15% of the contract value to win public tenders. This extensive corruption system, built through networks of middlemen and former Energoatom officials, is suspected to have been operating for years and had direct links to high-level political figures.
For Zelensky, who has built his international reputation on his fight against corruption, it is a major political blow. The investigation involves not only figures in the current government but also his former associates from his time as head of the entertainment and television industries. Mindich's ties to the notorious oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, who is also under investigation for financial fraud, add to suspicions that part of the economic network that financed Zelensky's rise to power is now embroiled in scandals involving state funds.
In Kiev, commentators are talking about a “second wave of corruption” that is hitting the country’s institutional cleansing. Although the president has officially ordered “full cooperation with justice,” the opposition has demanded a parliamentary investigation to determine whether structures close to the presidency interfered in energy sector tenders during 2022–2024.
In this climate of tension, Operation Midas is being seen as a major test for Ukraine's image in the international arena, especially at a time when the country is seeking new funds from the European Union and the US. For many Western observers, corruption remains the "most dangerous weapon" that is undermining Zelensky's reform project from within. /Pamphlet
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