Overview
- Ukraine’s government suspended Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko from his duties after NABU and the anti‑corruption prosecutor launched Operation Midas targeting alleged graft linked to Energoatom and businessman Timur Mindich.
- Investigators published initial excerpts from what they say total about 1,000 hours of recordings and filed the first cases, naming Mindich as the alleged organizer and charging former deputy prime minister Alexei Chernyshov, while Mindich is reported to be in Israel.
- Opposition figures warned that the scandal could jeopardize Western support, with Iryna Herashchenko urging a parliamentary move to dismiss the government and Alexei Goncharenko alleging the president’s office sought to limit Telegram coverage of the leaks.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said donors in Europe and the United States are recognizing that funds to Kyiv are being stolen, denied sharing information with Washington about a foiled plot against Metropolitan Tikhon, and reported no updates on Russia‑Ukraine contacts.
- Russia’s digital ministry is testing a 24‑hour cooling period for SIM cards returning from abroad to curb drone use, and a Kaliningrad senator requested exemptions for border residents to prevent unintended service disruptions.