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Zelensky Removes Two Ex-Ministers From Security Council as Kyiv Moves to Contain Energoatom Graft Fallout

Sweeping audits seek to reassure European backers wary of the Energoatom kickback case.

Overview

  • By presidential decree No. 845/2025, Herman Halushchenko and Svitlana Hrynchuk were removed from the National Security and Defence Council after their resignations earlier in the week.
  • NABU and SAPO say Operation Midas uncovered roughly $100 million in kickbacks tied to Energoatom contracts, citing 70-plus raids, seized cash and documents, and more than 1,000 hours of wiretaps.
  • Prosecutors report seven suspects charged and five in custody, while alleged ringleader Tymur Mindich and associate Oleksandr Tsukerman are abroad and now face Ukrainian sanctions.
  • Officials relaunched Energoatom’s oversight, paused a gas-transit leadership competition linked on wiretaps, and ordered audits across state firms, with Zelensky’s office telling the U.S. chargé d’affaires that investigations must be thorough and not destabilizing.
  • European defense leaders reaffirmed military support as Poland’s Donald Tusk warned fresh scandals could erode solidarity, underscoring the stakes for Ukraine’s EU ambitions and wartime financing.