Two key suspects in an energy-sector corruption scandal that has shaken wartime Ukraine and cut close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of a prominent lawmaker as someone who could advance their interests and protect cash flows, audiotape transcripts obtained by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, reveal.The previously unpublished excerpts of conversations recorded as part of the investigation known as Operation Midas add to what’s known about the case, which has so far led to the flight of an old friend and associate of Zelenskyy’s, Tymur Mindich, and the resignation and arrest of his influential long-time chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who is now out on bail.The scandal, also known as Mindichgate, centers on allegations that about $112 million was siphoned off from state nuclear power generator Energoatom through kickbacks from contractors. Some of it was intended for boosting defenses at vulnerable energy infrastructure against Russian air attacks. Prominent members of the political elite laundered more than $10 million through a project to build luxury homes near Kyiv.
Recorded conversations are part of the evidence in court cases related to the ongoing investigation led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which also resulted last year in the replacement of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who had been energy minister until July 2025 and was arrested at the border while trying to leave Ukraine in February.Investigators claim that Halushchenko was at the center of the alleged embezzlement scheme when he was energy minister and that Ihor Myronyuk, a lawyer and, according to law enforcement, adviser to Halushchenko at the time, handled the kickbacks, which were often delivered in cash to a network of “back-offices” used by the suspects in Kyiv.In the audiotape transcript excerpts that Schemes obtained and verified with two independent sources, Myronyuk and another suspect -- Dmytro Basov, a former acting security director at Energoatom -- spoke of lawmaker Oleksiy Kucherenko as someone who could protect and advance their interests by influencing legislative initiatives.
