Unprecedented corruption case hits Ukraine's energy industry: Key figures named
Photo: Timur Mindich (open sources)
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has filed charges against seven suspects in a major corruption case in the energy sector, including businessman and co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio, Timur Mindich, say RBC-Ukraine's sources in the authority and a statement from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
According to the report, NABU and SAPO uncovered the activities of a criminal organization involving current and former energy officials, a well-known media businessman, and other individuals.
The group allegedly built a large-scale corruption scheme to influence the operations of state-owned strategic enterprises - particularly Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power company - for personal profit and money laundering.
Who was charged
Currently, NABU detectives have detained five people under Article 208 of Ukraine's Criminal Procedure Code, and seven members of the group have been notified of suspicion, including:
- A businessman — the leader of the criminal organization;
- Former adviser to the Minister of Energy;
- Executive director for physical protection and security at Energoatom;
- Four individuals who handled the back office for money laundering.
Authorities are now seeking court approval for preventive measures.
According to RBC-Ukraine's sources, those charged include Timur Mindich, Ihor Myroniuk, and Dmytro Basov.
Details of the scheme
The organization's main activity involved systematically collecting kickbacks from Energoatom's contractors - typically 10–15% of contract values.
Contractors were allegedly forced to pay these kickbacks to avoid blocked payments for delivered goods or services, or to keep their supplier status. This practice was internally known as "the bargate".
To implement the scheme, the group's leader brought in a former deputy head of the State Property Fund, who later became an adviser to the Minister of Energy, and a former law enforcement officer who took the position of executive director for security at Energoatom.
Using their government and corporate connections, they controlled personnel decisions, procurement, and financial flows within the company.
According to investigators, real management of the strategic enterprise with an annual income exceeding ₴200 billion (over $4,7 bln) was effectively carried out by outside actors with no official authority, who acted as overseers.
Money laundering
Money laundering was handled by a dedicated office of the criminal group located in central Kyiv.
The office reportedly belonged to the family of Andrii Derkach, a former Ukrainian MP and now a Russian senator, who has already been charged by NABU and SAPO in another case.
This laundry office kept meticulous black accounting records, tracked all illicit funds, and laundered money through a network of offshore companies. A significant portion of operations, including cash withdrawals, were conducted outside Ukraine.
For its services, the office received a percentage of each transaction it processed. Investigators estimate that roughly $100 million passed through this operation during the documented period.
NABU and SAPO operation
The joint operation to document the criminal organization's activities lasted over 15 months, starting in summer 2024. Investigators collected a massive volume of evidence, including thousands of hours of audio recordings.
Nearly all NABU detectives were involved in the final phase. With court warrants, they conducted over 70 searches in Kyiv and other regions, seizing large amounts of documents and cash.
The investigation continues, with NABU and SAPO working to identify additional participants.
