Halushchenko sought to control Ukrenergo for loyal appointments - Kudrytskyi

Former head of Ukrenergo: Halushchenko sought to control the company through loyal people

Energy Minister German Halushchenko attempted to establish control over Ukrenergo not to strengthen the energy system, but to appoint loyal people to key positions.

According to Censor.NET, this was stated in an interview with the BBC by the former head of Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudritskyi.

He noted that the nature of the influence Halushchenko sought to gain "had nothing to do" with the stability of the energy system or integration with the EU—areas that are critically important during wartime.

"This was solely due to the appointment of people loyal to Halushchenko with questionable professional and human values," said Kudritsky.

Kudritsky stated that among the positions to which "their people" were allegedly promoted were the security department, which checks contractors, and the director of procurement. According to him, he heard the minister say: "I want to have my people in your company."

He claims that the candidates who were proposed could have posed "enormous risks," including potential corruption.

Among them is a former SSU employee who, according to Kudritsky, previously worked in a structure linked to former SBU head Leonid Derkach. He also said that people who had been dismissed from Ukrenergo in the past on suspicion of corruption or due to unprofessionalism were also offered positions.

"We did not allow anyone to steal or appoint, excuse my language, some 'pounds' to the company," said Kudritsky, emphasizing that Ukrenergo fulfilled all government and ministerial tasks and was well coordinated with the Cabinet of Ministers.

Galushchenko publicly acknowledged that he considered the lack of influence over Ukrenergo to be a problem, as he needed coordination in wartime conditions. Kudritsky rejects these arguments.

What preceded it?

Kudritsky posted details on Facebook about the corruption scandal at Energoatom involving the assistant to former MP Derkach, Myronyuk, known as "Rocket."

The former head of Ukrenergo also noted that over time, "Professor," "Kucheryavy," "Sukhach," and other participants in the scandal may "move closer" to Myronyuk, which will allegedly make their stay in the cell "more fun."

Corruption in the energy sector

Earlier, Censor.NET reported that NABU was conducting searches at Mindich's residence, who left Ukraine a few hours before the searches.
As reported, on Tuesday, 4 November, searches were conducted in one of the branches of the separate divisions of NAEK Energoatom in connection with a corruption case.
NABU is also conducting searches at the home of former Energy Minister Halushchenko and at Energoatom.
NABU and SAPO announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
The current Minister of Energy, Svitlana Hrynychuk, appears in NABU recordings as part of the investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Subsequently, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau exposed an office in central Kyiv belonging to the family of former MP and current Russian Senator Andrii Derkach. There, they kept "black accounts," recorded money, and organised money laundering.
On 11 November, NABU released recordings featuring Minister Halushchenko and Mindich.
Chernyshov has been notified of suspicion of illegal enrichment as part of Operation Midas.
One of the suspects, Dmytro Basov, was remanded in custody with bail set at 40 million hryvnia.
Galushchenko's former adviser Myroniuk was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 126 million.
The Cabinet of Ministers submitted proposals to the National Security and Defence Council to impose personal sanctions on Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman following a NABU investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Earlier, Ihor Myroniuk and the executive director of security at Energoatom, Dmytro Basov, who appeared in NABU's videos under the nickname Tenor, were remanded in custody for 60 days.
Another suspect, Lesya Ustymenko, was also remanded in custody for 60 days.
The High Anti-Corruption Court chose a preventive measure for Ihor Fursenko (known as Ryoshik in NABU recordings), a suspect in a case of corruption in the energy sector.
On 13 November, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Lyudmila Zorin, with bail set at 12 million hryvnia.