Two Ministers Resign as $100 Million Energy Corruption Scandal Hits Zelensky’s Government

Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers resigned on Wednesday amid a sweeping corruption scandal that has sent shockwaves through President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, already under pressure as Russian strikes cripple the country’s power grid.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) alleges that a close ally of Zelensky, Timur Mindich, orchestrated a $100 million kickback scheme involving contracts at Energoatom, the state nuclear operator.

According to NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), top Energoatom officials allegedly demanded illicit commissions of 10-15 percent from contractors.

NABU-released recordings suggest that Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko – who held the post until Wednesday – and a former energy minister may have helped Mindich launder money.

The case has sparked public fury as millions of Ukrainians endure rolling blackouts and heating shortages from Moscow’s relentless bombardment of the energy system.

“The minister of justice and the minister of energy cannot remain in their positions,” Zelensky said in a video statement late Wednesday.

Shortly afterward, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk submitted their resignations, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed.

Neither minister has been formally charged, and investigators have not publicly accused Hrynchuk of personally benefiting from the scheme.

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Still, Zelensky urged both to step down “to preserve public trust,” calling corruption in the energy sector “absolutely unacceptable during wartime.”

Svyrydenko said the government also suspended Energoatom’s vice president and ordered the company to remove several senior executives pending the outcome of the probe.

The corruption allegations center on contracts linked to Energoatom, which provides most of Ukraine’s electricity.

Investigators say the scheme was orchestrated by Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelensky and co-owner of his former comedy production company Kvartal 95, which produced the president’s hit TV series Servant of the People.

The State Border Service said Mindich fled Ukraine just before NABU announced the case on Monday.

Prime Minister Svyrydenko later confirmed she had imposed personal sanctions on Mindich and another businessman, Oleksandr Tsukerman, who has been charged in the case.

The revelations have rattled Kyiv’s Western partners and come as the European Union reviews Ukraine’s progress on anti-corruption reforms – a key condition for membership talks.

Earlier this year, Zelensky’s administration faced backlash at home and in Brussels for moves seen as undermining the independence of NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office – the very institutions now leading the investigation.

Opposition lawmakers from former President Petro Poroshenko’s party have called for the government’s resignation. Parliament must still formally approve the two ministerial departures.

As the scandal deepens, Ukraine’s already fragile power grid faces fresh attacks. Russia has escalated nightly drone and missile barrages targeting critical infrastructure in what officials describe as a campaign to plunge cities into darkness and cold ahead of winter.

“This is a test for all of us,” Zelensky said. “We are fighting external enemies – but we will also root out the internal ones.”