Nuclear Graft Bomb Drops on Kyiv: $100M Energoatom Scandal Shakes Zelenskyy’s War Cabinet
Published Date: 13th Nov, 2025
Kyiv, Ukraine – November 13, 2025 – While Russian drones buzzed overhead, Ukraine’s anti-corruption SWAT team detonated a political nuke Monday: a $100 million kickback ring inside state-owned nuclear giant Energoatom. Cash-stuffed safes, offshore ledgers, and a fugitive tycoon with a Zelenskyy-era Rolodex—Operation Midas has already claimed two ministers and frozen the assets of eight kingpins.
The Heist That Powered the Blackouts
NABU detectives kicked in doors at 5:47 a.m. across Kyiv, Lviv, and the Rivne nuclear plant. What they hauled out: $2.3 million in vacuum-sealed euros, burner phones with contractor hit lists, and a spreadsheet titled “10-15% or goodbye.” The scam was brutally simple—any firm wanting a slice of Energoatom’s $1.2 billion annual procurement pie paid tribute to a shadow office run by Timur Mindich, a former TV mogul turned energy fixer.
Mindich fled to Tel Aviv on a diplomatic passport 14 hours before the raids. His partner, Oleksandr Tsukerman, was nabbed at Boryspil trying to board a private jet with two suitcases of diamonds. Both now face 12 years and asset forfeiture.
Cabinet Casualties: Two Ministers Out by Lunch
By noon Wednesday, Energy Minister German Halushchenko and Justice Minister Denys Maliuska had tendered resignations in identical one-page letters. Halushchenko’s name appeared in 47 seized WhatsApp chats; Maliuska allegedly green-lit a shell company used to launder reactor repair funds. Zelenskyy accepted both “with regret” in a 38-second video address, then appointed technocrat caretakers before the ink dried.
Audit Tsunami: Every State Company on the Table
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko seized the moment Thursday, announcing wall-to-wall audits of all 3,400 state enterprises by March 2026. “No sacred cows,” she said, flanked by NABU chief Semen Kryvonos and SAPO prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko. The first 100 audits launch next week—Naftogaz, Ukrzaliznytsia, and the highway agency top the list.
The IMF, in Kyiv for bailout talks, texted reporters a single thumbs-up emoji.
From Cardboard Maidan to Concrete Results
Remember July’s “Cardboard Maidan”? Students glued mock gravestones to parliament gates after a bill tried to neuter NABU. The backlash forced Zelenskyy to veto it. Fast-forward four months: the High Anti-Corruption Court has convicted 77 defendants in 2025 alone, including a deputy minister caught taking a $40,000 bribe in bitcoin.
Brussels Nod, Moscow Laugh
EU enlargement chief Marta Kos called the raids “the strongest signal yet that Ukraine means business.” In Moscow, state TV looped Mindich’s yacht footage under the chyron “Zelenskyy’s Billion-Dollar Friends.”
Winter Power Play
Energoatom supplies 55% of Ukraine’s electricity. Contractors spooked by the scandal have frozen $180 million in turbine upgrades—right as Russia targets the grid with nightly barrages. Blackouts in Kharkiv stretched to 18 hours Wednesday; residents burned furniture to stay warm.
The Ledger
- $100M estimated stolen
- 8 suspects charged
- 2 ministers resigned
- 3 years assets frozen
- 77 convictions in 2025 (record)
- 100 audits ordered by March
Next Raid, Next Dawn
NABU’s hotline lit up with 400 tips in 48 hours. One anonymous voice message: “Check the coal tenders next.” In a war where every watt counts, Ukraine’s graft hunters just proved the lights can stay on—even when the crooks try to pull the plug.
Date: 13th Nov, 2025
