Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have opened a large investigation into alleged kickback schemes in the energy sector, an affair that has quickly broadened into questions about institutional independence and political oversight.
NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) say the case follows a lengthy covert operation and involves extensive audio material.
Reporting indicates the probe—described in some coverage as operation “Midas”—centres on suspected illicit payments linked to procurement at state nuclear operator Energoatom, with figures close to the political leadership among those named by investigators.
Media have reported searches involving former and current officials and referred to the flight abroad of business figure Tymur/Timur Mindich, noted as a long-time associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. These details have not yet been tested in court.
SAPO has confirmed it opened an internal inquiry into a possible leak of investigative data after reports that a target of the case was tipped off prior to procedural actions. The office said the review was initiated by SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko. Independent media likewise reported the leak probe in the context of Mindich’s departure from Ukraine.
The case emerges against a volatile backdrop for Ukraine’s power system. A renewed Russian campaign against energy assets has forced rolling outages across much of the country, heightening public sensitivity to governance and procurement in the sector. Analysts and officials have documented repeated mass strikes since October and prolonged cuts while repairs proceed.
Questions over the resilience and autonomy of Ukraine’s anti-corruption architecture have intensified since July. On 21 July, NABU publicly stated that the Security Service (SBU), the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General’s Office conducted at least 70 searches involving its staff, and that some actions were carried out without court warrants. Civil society and media have also highlighted draft legislation passed in late July that would subordinate elements of NABU and SAPO activity to the Prosecutor General, prompting protests and criticism from watchdogs.
Internationally, officials and observers are tracking how the affair intersects with Ukraine’s EU accession process. The European Commission’s 2025 enlargement report, covering developments up to 1 September 2025, welcomes reform roadmaps adopted in May but flags “notable concern” about ensuring a robust and independent anti-corruption framework, underscoring the political salience of institutional safeguards.
Several reports on the current case refer to the involvement of figures previously linked in Western jurisdictions to Russian intelligence activity. For context, the US government has designated former Ukrainian politician Andrii Derkach as a “Russian agent” and later unsealed an indictment alleging sanctions evasion and money-laundering offences—allegations unrelated to the present Ukrainian investigation but relevant to public claims about past networks.
Officials in Kyiv have publicly pledged to support the work of investigative bodies as the energy probe proceeds. Government statements to international media in recent days have emphasised a zero-tolerance approach and the need to protect the integrity of anti-corruption agencies while legal procedures take their course. The durability of those commitments will be tested by the handling of any evidence that moves to the courts and the outcome of SAPO’s internal leak review.
The broader policy debate now centres on insulating NABU, SAPO and the High Anti-Corruption Court while strengthening oversight of security and prosecutorial bodies. The Commission’s enlargement package reiterates that progress on the rule of law is central to Ukraine’s EU trajectory—context that will frame domestic decisions on appointments, procedures and legislative fixes arising from the energy case.
Commission draft: Ukraine committed to accession, needs stronger anti-corruption safeguards
