Ukraine: Ministers Step Down Amid Expanding Energoatom Corruption Probe

Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk submitted their resignations on Nov. 12, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced, Orda.kz reports, citing The Kyiv Independent.

Their requests have been forwarded to parliament for approval.

The move came shortly after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly called on both officials to step down. Halushchenko had already been suspended earlier that day amid a $100 million corruption scheme at the state nuclear operator Energoatom.

In a Facebook post, Halushchenko wrote that he supports stepping aside during the investigation:

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on Oleksandr Tsukerman and his associate Timur Mindich. Both men are also implicated in the corruption scheme and have fled the country. The Ukrainian president is expected to sign the sanctions into force following the council's approval.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko later confirmed that the government had formally launched the sanctions process.

Resignations Follow Widening Energoatom Investigation

Halushchenko is currently under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as part of a sweeping corruption case involving state nuclear operator Energoatom and businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate of Zelenskyy.

Halushchenko has not been formally charged.

Prosecutors also revealed that Energy Minister Hrynchuk spent several nights in Halushchenko’s apartment in July and August, a detail she denied knowing. She also denies any wrongdoing.

At a court hearing, prosecutors said suspect Ihor Myroniuk — a former adviser to Halushchenko — had conducted Hrynchuk’s job interview when she was being considered for the ministerial role.

Svyrydenko confirmed that the government has suspended Energoatom Vice President Jacob Hartmut based on NABU materials and dismissed the company’s supervisory board.

A new audit and management reform are planned.

Zelenskyy said the two ministers could not remain in office while under scrutiny:

NABU Evidence Points to High-Level Influence

NABU searched properties linked to Halushchenko on Nov. 10. The minister appears in bureau recordings under the alias “Professor,” with suspects allegedly dividing kickbacks between themselves and him.

Prosecutors also said the tapes include a conversation in which Zelenskyy phoned Halushchenko while Halushchenko was meeting with Mindich and suspect Oleksandr Tsukerman. The call reportedly followed a message Mindich sent to the president. Zelenskyy’s office has not commented.

Prosecutor Serhiy Savytskyi argued that the evidence shows Mindich exercised political influence through his ties to Halushchenko.

Previous Allegations

Halushchenko has been linked to earlier corruption controversies. In 2024, he was summoned to parliament to answer concerns about corruption in the energy sector. 

The same year, NABU charged his deputy, Oleksandr Heilo, with accepting a $500,000 bribe and another former deputy, Maksym Nemchynov, with corruption offenses.