Energoatom corruption to have very serious consequences for Ukraine — political scientist

Political scientist Oleksii Koshel stated this on Espreso TV.

"This story is extremely large-scale and will have very serious consequences for Ukraine. Because in any government cabinet - from Warsaw to Washington - this story is being discussed. And, accordingly, the question will arise: we are helping Ukraine, and Ukraine is actually stealing our money. This will be speculated on and used by representatives of the opposition, as well as individual representatives of the authorities in different countries. Therefore, the consequences will be very serious," Koshel emphasized.

According to the political scientist, large-scale statements about corruption in Ukraine will be used quite seriously.

"That is, this is what undermines our defense capability, and quite seriously. I'm not even talking about the amount of stolen funds. Everyone can roughly imagine how many FPV drones were stolen - this is theft during the war," Koshel noted.

The political scientist also believes that the consequences for the presidential team will be there, but they will not be catastrophic.

"Because in recent years, a distorted information field has formed in our country. I think that in the coming days we will see how the authorities will try to beat this topic with a completely different one," Koshel suggested.

Background

On November 10, 2025, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced a major investigation into large-scale corruption centered on Energoatom, the country's state-run nuclear power operator. The announcement followed a 15-month probe, which reportedly involved over 1,000 hours of audio recordings and culminated in dozens of raids across the country.

The core allegation is that a "high-level criminal organization" exerted "shadow control" over Energoatom. This group allegedly forced the company's contractors to pay kickbacks, reportedly between 10-15% of their contract values. These payments were allegedly demanded to prevent contractors from having their payments for goods and services blocked or from losing their supplier status. NABU has stated that the scheme involved laundering tens of millions of dollars.

While official statements from NABU did not initially name all suspects, Ukrainian media outlets, citing sources within the investigation, identified several high-profile individuals. Reports indicated that searches were conducted at the home of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who had previously served as Ukraine's Energy Minister. Another key figure named in media reports is Timur Mindich, a businessman and co-owner of the Kvartal 95 production studio, which was founded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mindich reportedly fled Ukraine just hours before the NABU search of his residence.

This scandal has emerged at a critical time for Ukraine, as its energy infrastructure remains a primary target of Russian attacks and as the country pursues anti-corruption reforms crucial for its European Union accession. In response to the investigation, President Zelenskyy emphasized the need for Energoatom to be "clean," and the company's supervisory board convened an emergency meeting, vowing to cooperate fully with the authorities.