Zelenskyy ally Halushchenko arrested while trying to flee Ukraine amid graft probe

UPDATED: Feb 16, 2026 04:08 IST

Former Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko was detained at the state border while trying to exit the country, anti-corruption investigators said, linking the move to a sweeping probe that has already forced multiple senior resignations.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said its detectives apprehended the ex-minister on Sunday "while crossing the state border" as part of the long-running "Midas" corruption case. Officials did not formally name Galushchenko in their statement, but Ukrainian media widely identified him as the detained figure.

According to law-enforcement sources cited by local media outlets, Galushchenko was intercepted while travelling out of Ukraine and later transferred to Kyiv for investigative procedures. Authorities said further details would be released after initial legal steps were completed.

Galushchenko, who stepped down from government last year amid a sweeping corruption scandal in the energy sector, has previously denied wrongdoing and said he would contest the allegations.

DETENTION TIED TO ‘MIDAS’ CORRUPTION PROBE

The NABU said the detention formed part of the sprawling Midas investigation into alleged embezzlement and kickback schemes linked to Ukraine’s energy industry. The probe has centred on suspected diversion of roughly $100 million from state-linked energy operations through inflated contracts and illicit payments.

"Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the ‘Midas’ case," the agency said. "Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow."

Investigators allege that senior officials and intermediaries extracted personal gains from energy-sector deals, including contracts connected to the state nuclear operator. Authorities have also accused suspects of laundering proceeds through complex financial channels and moving funds abroad.

The scandal erupted publicly last year, triggering a wave of ministerial resignations and law-enforcement actions. Galushchenko, who had served as energy minister for several years, left office in November as the probe expanded.

POLITICAL FALLOUT AMID WAR-TIME PRESSURES

The corruption case has generated political pressure on Ukraine’s leadership at a time when the country remains under full-scale Russian invasion and faces repeated strikes on its energy infrastructure. Allegations that officials profited from the sector during wartime hardship prompted public anger and intensified scrutiny of governance.

The affair also swept up other senior figures, including former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who was arrested on suspicion of illicit enrichment, and businessman Timur Mindich, reported to have left Ukraine after being identified as a suspect. Authorities have not accused President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of wrongdoing.

Anti-corruption enforcement has been a central plank of Zelenskyy’s reform agenda since he took office, and progress in tackling graft remains a core condition of Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union. Western partners have likewise pressed Kyiv to demonstrate accountability and institutional reform despite wartime constraints.

Ukraine has struggled with entrenched corruption since independence, and specialised bodies such as NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office were created a decade ago to investigate high-level graft. The Midas probe represents one of their largest cases to date.

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