Ukraine’s former energy minister, Herman Galushchenko, was dramatically detained aboard a train as he attempted to flee the country.
It came amid charges of money laundering and alleged involvement in a criminal organisation linked to a sprawling $100 million (€84.95 million) kickback scheme at state nuclear firm Energoatom.
The arrest, executed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on February 15, occurred as Galushchenko tried to cross the border. The incident marks a significant escalation in the “Midas” investigation that has already toppled senior officials and strained Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration.
Galushchenko, who served as energy minister from 2021 to 2025 before a brief stint as justice minister, resigned last year following initial revelations of the scandal.
Prosecutors allege Galushchenko laundered millions in illicit funds, with more than $7 million (€5.9 million) traced to foreign accounts benefiting his wife and four children.
The scheme reportedly involved contractors paying 10 per cent to 15 per cent bribes to secure deals or avoid delays in the energy sector, orchestrated by businessman Timur Mindich, a purported Zelensky ally.
NABU stated the ex-minister was “exposed for money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation” and facing up to 15 years imprisonment if convicted.
Galushchenko was transported to Kyiv for questioning, with Ukrainian media reporting he was removed from the train and held pending further proceedings.
This development follows a wave of resignations triggered by the probe, underscoring apparently persistent graft in Ukraine’s wartime economy despite western aid conditional on reforms.
In a separate but equally eyebrow-raising case, Oleksandr Subbotenko, acting head of the State Environmental Inspectorate (SEI), has come under scrutiny after declaring $653,000 (€554,720) in cash, claiming it was discovered in his late grandmother’s garage in Kharkiv.
The SEI is the central executive body responsible for state supervision of environmental protection, natural resource usage, and ecological safety, coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers through the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
Subbotenko informed the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) during a 2024 declaration review that he found the funds in the “Progress” co-operative garage, inherited after his grandmother’s death on December 18, 2020.
He asserted the money was legally earned by his grandmother and her husband, possibly abroad, with the family habit of storing savings in dollars.
Discrepancies noted include a declared $623,000 (€529,230) versus the explained $653,000, prompting questions about the funds’ origins.
Subbotenko, previously head of a co-ordination sector within the inspectorate, repeated this account in a 2022 declaration check but the NAPC’s ongoing verification has sparked calls for deeper investigation into potential undeclared assets or laundering.
These twin scandals highlight Ukraine’s ongoing battle with endemic corruption, even as European Union accession talks demand more stringent transparency measures.
