Investigation into Operation ’Midas’ has been completed, - NABU
Anti-corruption authorities have concluded their investigation into the ‘Midas’ (Mindichgate) case.
This was reported by the NABU press office, according to Censor.NET.
Details
"According to the investigation, members of the criminal group systematically received unlawful benefits from contractors of JSC ‘NAEK Energoatom’ and enterprises under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Energy, amounting to between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of the contract value.
The task of laundering the illegally obtained funds was entrusted to a separate office of the criminal organisation," the statement reads.
According to the Bureau, the sums accumulated and transferred to this office in cash from the energy sector between 2020 and 2025 amounted to over US$111 million and €12 million.
Detectives have also established that funds from other sources were made available to the criminal organisation.
"Various financial instruments were used to launder funds, including cryptocurrency, securities and a foreign investment fund.
During the investigation, the NABU and the SAPO took measures to freeze the assets of the criminal organisation both in Ukraine and abroad," they added.
A number of further cases have been identified from the case files, in which investigations are continuing into the granting and receipt of unlawful benefits in the energy sector, as well as money laundering for the benefit of other individuals.
Measures to trace and freeze the criminal organisation’s assets will continue, NABU added.
Mindichgate
- In November 2025, NABU carried out searches at Mindich’s premises; he had left Ukraine a few hours before the searches took place.
- On 4 November, searches were carried out at one of the branches of the separate divisions of NAEK ‘Energoatom’ as part of a corruption investigation.
- NABU also carried out searches at the home of former Energy Minister Halushchenko and at "Energoatom".
- On 10 November 2025, NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
- Subsequently, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau raided an office in central Kyiv belonging to the family of former MP and current Russian Federation Senator Andrii Derkach. There, they kept ‘off-the-books accounts’, recorded money transfers and organised money laundering.
- On 11 November, NABU released recordings featuring former minister Herman Halushchenko and Mindich.
- Former Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov was served with a notice of suspicion of illicit enrichment as part of Operation ‘Midas’.
- One of the suspects – Dmytro Basov – was remanded in custody with bail set at 40 million hryvnias.
- Halushchenko’s former adviser, Myronyuk, was remanded in custody with bail set at 126 million hryvnias.
- The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted proposals to the National Security and Defence Council regarding the imposition of targeted sanctions against Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman following the NABU investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
- Ihor Myroniuk and Dmytro Basov, the executive director for security at Energoatom, who appeared in NABU’s recordings under the nickname ‘Tenor’, have been remanded in custody for 60 days.
- Another person implicated in the case, Lesya Ustymenko, was also remanded in custody for 60 days.
- The High Anti-Corruption Court has imposed a preventive measure on Igor Fursenko (known as ‘Ryoshik’ in the NABU recordings), a suspect in the energy sector corruption case.
- On 13 November, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Liudmyla Zorina, setting bail at 12 million hryvnias.
- Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against Mindich and Zuckerman.
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On 1 December, a pre-trial measure – detention – was imposed on Mindich in absentia. The investigation considers him to be the leader of a group that received and laundered money from corruption schemes in the energy sector. Mindich’s case may now be referred to Interpol for his arrest, in particular whilst crossing the border.
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On 15 February 2026, Herman Halushchenko was detained whilst attempting to cross the border. On 16 February, it emerged that officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) had informed the former official of the charges against him, and the very next day the court remanded him in custody with the option of posting bail set at 200 million hryvnias.
