Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers have been forced to resign amid a corruption probe by Ukraine’s anti-graft watchdogs, which found that close allies of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have skimmed about $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector.
The revelations come as Russia has been pounding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts and leaving the government scrambling to make repairs and get more funding for its energy sector from its Western backers.
The findings were the result of a 15-month investigation by Ukraine’s two state corruption watchdogs, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). Earlier this year, Zelensky attempted to curb the powers of NABU and SAP, but reversed the move after facing significant backlash.
In response to the investigation, Zelensky called for the resignation of Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk. “This is, among other things, a matter of trust. If there are accusations, they must be addressed. The decision on suspension from office is prompt, as swift as possible. I have asked the Prime Minister of Ukraine to ensure that these ministers submit their resignations,” Zelensky said in a video address on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian leader said that he supports “every investigation carried out by law enforcement and anti-corruption officials, and this is an absolutely clear and consistent position for everyone.”
While Zelensky himself is not implicated in the investigation, one of his business partners is. Timur Mindich, a Ukrainian businessman and co-owner of Zelensky’s Kvartal 95 media production company, is alleged by SAP to be the ringleader of the scheme to get kickbacks from the Ukrainian energy sector. Galushchenko, the now-resigned justice minister, has been accused of helping Minich launder money, though he has not been charged.
POLITICO reported that Minich was tipped off about the investigation and has fled to Israel. So far, five out of seven people allegedly involved in the network have been arrested.
The investigation involved 1,000 hours of wiretapping, and, according to The Associated Press, two recorded discussions involved delays in building defensive fortifications for energy sites and waiting for a more profitable alternative. The conversations mentioned giving contracts to build defensive protections to a known company, and later to increase kickbacks up to 15%.
Ukraine has long been notorious for corruption, but the US and its NATO allies sought to downplay the issue following the 2022 Russian invasion as they poured hundreds of billions of dollars in weapons and other kinds of aid into the country.
