Former Ukraine energy minister Herman Halushchenko detained fleeing country
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Ukraine’s former energy minister was detained on Sunday after authorities removed him from a train at the border for allegedly trying to flee the country, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The source said Herman Halushchenko’s arrest followed requests from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and marked an escalation in the anti-corruption investigation spanning the political spectrum.
“Khalushchenko tried to escape from Ukraine,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
“He had a request from the border guards to obtain information from NABU and SAPO about him and also in case he tried to cross the border,” they added.
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Ukrainian authorities arrested former energy minister Herman Halushchenko as part of the Operation Midas investigation, which is investigating allegations of $100 million in kickbacks at the Energoatom nuclear company. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
“That actually means the President has lost some control here because he’s trying to get through.”
NABU issued a statement on the issue on Sunday but did not name Halushchenko. Kyiv Post.
He served as the country’s energy minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but resigned in November.
“Today, NABU detectives detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the ‘Midas’ case while crossing the state border,” the agency said in a statement, referring to the corruption scandal in the country’s energy sector. he said.
“Initial investigative proceedings, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions, are continuing. Details will follow,” NABU added.
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Halushchenko served under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)
Operation Midas focuses on allegations of a $100 million embezzlement scheme at Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company.
Investigators say funds for critical energy infrastructure, including wartime grid repairs, were funneled through contract commissions in the wake of Russian attacks.
Halushchenko was one of several ministers to resign in 2025 after NABU uncovered what it described as a massive money laundering scheme, also orchestrated by Zelenskyy ally Tymur Mindich.
The dispute also affected border operations. Border chief Serhiy Deineko was dismissed in January Kyiv Independent reported.
On January 4, the agency’s first deputy, Valerii Vavryniuk, was appointed acting head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS). to Pravda.
“The last border chief was also accused of corruption,” the source said. “There is a new acting head of the border agency who is loyal not to Zelenskyy but rather to the institutions,” they added.
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“With the corruption investigations, Zelenskyy is losing control and it’s infuriating him,” a source told Fox News Digital. (Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The source also said that this latest arrest will be difficult for the Ukrainian leader, as Halushchenko is considered an “unofficial but direct subordinate” of Zelenskyy.
“Khalushenko [an] “He is (unofficially but directly) tied to Zelenskyy, so if he is proven corrupt it will be difficult to convince people that the president doesn’t know anything,” they said.
“With the corruption investigations, Zelenskyy is losing control and this is infuriating him,” the source added.
The developments come as Zelenskyy continues to advance Ukraine’s war with Russia.
SENIOR UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN THE ZELENSKY GOVERNMENT RESIGNED OVER $100 MILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL
Ukrainian soldiers ride atop an APC toward front-line positions near Vuhledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 1, 2023. (Libkos/AP Photo)
The source stated that Zelenskyy’s “stress increased” in the Ukrainian parliament after Halushenko’s arrest.
“Recently, Zelenskyy got angry because the initiative in the parliament was not implemented and shouted and threatened the parliamentarians,” the source said.
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“He seemed quite emotionally uncontrolled and almost aggressive behind the scenes this week, so some parliamentarians have seen his stress rise many times in recent times, even higher than pre-war levels,” they said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office for comment.
