Ex-Energoatom official named suspect in Ukraine's biggest wartime bribery probe

KYIV, July 10 - A former official at Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom was formally named a suspect on Friday as Kyiv's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) presses ahead with the biggest wartime corruption case in the energy sector.

NABU said on Telegram that the executive director responsible for the physical protection and security of Energoatom facilities was suspected of laundering more than 30 million hryvnias ($674,000) from 2023 to 2025.

The agency did not name the official. There was no immediate comment from Energoatom, but it has previously said it was cooperating with the investigation and had suspended several employees at NABU's request.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, protecting Ukraine's energy infrastructure has become a critical priority as Moscow has repeatedly targeted power lines, substations and generating facilities with missile and drone attacks.

The so-called Midas case, which authorities say involved a $100 million kickback scheme at Energoatom, has engulfed figures close to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and cast a shadow over Ukraine's government at a time when Kyiv is seeking to demonstrate to Western allies that it can tackle high-level corruption.

The detention in February of German Galushchenko, Ukraine's energy minister from 2021 to 2025, marked a major development in the case. He has denied wrongdoing.

Anti-corruption authorities have accused Timur Mindich, Zelenskiy's former business partner, of leading the kickback scheme and also named Zelenskiy's former chief of staff Andriy Yermak as a suspect. Both have also denied wrongdoing. REUTERS