NABU's 'Operation Midas' exposes $100 million kickback scheme at state nuclear operator Energoatom, implicating Zelensky's inner circle; Energy and Justice Ministers resign
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Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) announced on November 10, 2025 the results of a 15-month wiretap investigation ('Operation Midas') finding an organized group extracted 10-15% kickbacks from contractors of state nuclear operator Energoatom, laundering roughly $100 million. Businessman Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of President Zelensky, is a central figure, and NABU/SAP say former Energy Minister (and, at the time, sitting Justice Minister) Herman Halushchenko personally lobbied for a debt-repayment moratorium that helped the scheme function. Zelensky called for the resignations of Justice Minister Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk, both of whom resigned in mid-November 2025; Halushchenko denies wrongdoing and denies any intent to flee the country.
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- reports.nabu.gov.uaDocument
систематичне отримання неправомірної вигоди від контрагентів «Енергоатому» у розмірі від 10% до 15% від вартості контрактів
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