Volodymyr Zelensky has announced plans to “clean up” Ukraine’s energy sector after anti-corruption investigators accused him of a $100 million bribery scheme in the worst scandal of his presidency.
Over the weekend, the country’s president announced sweeping changes at Ukraine’s major state energy companies, including a complete overhaul of the management of Energoatom, the state nuclear power operator at the center of an alleged criminal scheme.
Government officials, he said, were “instructed to maintain constant and meaningful communication with law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies. Any schemes uncovered in these companies should receive a prompt and appropriate response”.
In further announcements on Sunday, Zelensky said he had instructed the government to submit an “urgent law” to Ukraine’s parliament to change the structure of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission, a key energy regulator. He also promised to appoint new leaders at the helm of other energy bodies.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau announced last Monday that it was investigating a criminal gang behind a scheme under which Energoatom counterparties were forced to pay bribes of 10-15% to avoid having payments blocked or losing supplier status. Ukrainian media later reported that one of the senior individuals involved was Timur Mindych, a businessman and co-owner of a media production company that Zelensky founded before becoming president.
These promises of reform came shortly before Zelensky arrived in Athens on Sunday to sign a deal that will enable Ukraine to import liquefied natural gas supplied by the US during the winter. The government of Ukraine is urgently exploring options to compensate for the damage caused by continued Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
The agreement between Greece’s national gas company, DEPA Commercial, and its Ukrainian counterpart, Naftogaz, will supply U.S. liquefied natural gas to Ukraine via Greece between December 2025 and March 2026.
‘This winter under Russian drones, missiles and daily attacks is a huge challenge for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,’ Zelensky posted on X during his visit, where he met the Greek President, Constantine Tassoulas, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the new US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle. The Ukrainian President expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for the US energy supplied through Greece.
Zelensky, who is due to travel to France and Spain this week to sign military aid deals, is under pressure to prove to European allies that he is serious about tackling corruption, a key prerequisite for Ukraine to become an EU member state.
The Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, told the Associated Press news agency that Zelensky had to deal quickly with corruption charges, but he also praised his wartime leadership and urged European leaders to increase financial and military support for Ukraine.
The scandal comes at a difficult moment, as Kiev faces a budget shortfall while the EU is in a standoff over a €140bn loan to Ukraine based on Russia’s frozen assets. Viktor Orban, the Hungarian leader who is blocking progress in Ukraine’s EU accession talks, has seized on the anti-corruption investigation, claiming it shows a “wartime mafia network” with “countless ties” to Zelensky.
The corruption allegations have sparked outrage across Ukraine and have turned into the worst scandal of Zelensky’s presidency. The national anti-corruption bureau – Nabu – has released incriminating audio recordings of members of Zelensky’s inner circle.
They include the president’s friend and former business partner Mindich, who fled his Kiev apartment last Monday hours before investigators arrived to arrest him. Mindich – who co-founded Zelensky’s media production company, Kvartal 95 – fled Poland in a taxi. He is believed to be hiding in Israel.
Zelensky’s reforms were announced on Sunday after he fired Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers last week. Both have been implicated in a case in which a group of government officials took bribes in contracts with Energoatom. The minister denies wrongdoing.
Most commentators believe that the illegal scheme was not a one-off, and suggest that the scam may have spread to other ministries. Ukrainian media have reported that Mindich was allegedly involved in a bid to supply body armor to the Defense Ministry through an Israeli firm and shell companies.
Then-Defense Minister Rustam Umerov – now Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council – confirmed that he met with Mindich. But he denied any undue influence, said a contract had been terminated and insisted that no items were ever delivered.
“This is a huge blow, but the worst part of it is that I’m not sure we’re at the end of it. It could still unfold,” a pro-government deputy told the Kyiv Independent newspaper over the weekend.
Nearly four years after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, Nabu officials have acknowledged that Ukraine has a corruption problem. But they point out that the scandal has been exposed – something that would not be possible in neighboring Russia or EU member Hungary.
Oleksandr Abakumov, head of Nabu’s investigative team, said, “The story is not about corruption. It is about Ukraine’s struggle and the fight against corruption.”