Kremlin stands behind corruption schemes in energy sector – Podoliak, Adviser to head of Office of President

Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President, has accused the Kremlin of being behind the corruption scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector.

Censor.NET reports.

"News about an investigation into a corruption scheme in the energy sector is unfortunately not surprising. It is a logical echo of the past, when the Kremlin spent decades building a system to keep Ukraine in its sphere of influence. Corruption was one of its key tools, and remnants of this mechanism still exist," Podoliak wrote.

According to the presidential adviser, the real news is not the abuses themselves but the work of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions.

"The fact that such an investigation has begun, that extensive investigative work has been done, and that top officials stress the need for fair verdicts — all this convincingly demonstrates Ukraine’s transformation," Yermak's advisor. stated.

Podoliak also warned that Russian propaganda would attempt to use the corruption scandal in the energy sector as "proof" of Ukraine’s dysfunction.

"But the reality is the opposite: we are not seeing state collapse, but a test of a new institutional foundation. Not many countries, in wartime, could uncover, investigate, and publicly discuss such cases," he added.

Podoliak recalled that "for all 30 years of independence, Ukraine has faced major corruption scandals." The difference today, he said, is the state’s reaction:

"It used to remain silent. It used to tolerate it. It used to simply move people from one position to another. Today, Ukraine shows zero tolerance for corruption. The President is taking swift and tough decisions. This is no longer the Ukraine of 10, 15 or 20 years ago."

Media reports previously noted that during the Yanukovych era, Podoliak worked with former Presidential Administration head Serhii Lyovochkin and advised Party of Regions MP Yurii Ivaniushchenko.

Mindichgate

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 NNEGC "Energoatom" in connection with a corruption case.
The NABU is also conducting searches at the home of former Energy Minister Halushchenko and at "Energoatom".
The NABU and the SAPO announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
Current Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk appears on recordings obtained by NABU as part of its investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Later, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered an office in central Kyiv belonging to the family of former MP and current Russian senator Andrii Derkach, where a "black ledger" was kept, cash was tracked, and money-laundering operations were organized.
On 11 November, NABU released recordings featuring Minister Halushchenko and Mindich.
Chernyshova has been served with a notice of suspicion of illicit enrichment under Operation "Midas."
One of the suspects, Dmytro Basov, was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 40 million.
Halushchenko's former adviser Myroniuk was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 126 million.
The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted proposals to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose personal sanctions against Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman following an NABU investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Earlier, Ihor Myroniuk and Energoatom’s executive director for security, Dmytro Basov, featured on the NABU tapes under the alias "Tenor", were remanded in custody for 60 days.
Another suspect, Lesia Ustymenko, was also placed in pre-trial detention for 60 days.
The High Anti-Corruption Court has ruled on a preventive measure for Ihor Fursenko, a suspect in an energy-sector corruption case (known on the NABU tapes as "Roshyk").
On 13 November, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Liudmyla Zorina, with bail set at 12 million hryvnia.
Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against Mindich and Zuckerman.