The government of Ukraine suspended Justice Minister German Galushchenko on Tuesday after he was implicated in a major corruption scandal within the country’s energy sector, involving top officials and businessmen linked to President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko announced the decision on X, writing: “This morning we held an extraordinary cabinet meeting and decided to suspend Herman Galushchenko from his duties as Minister of Justice.” 

The move followed a parliamentary initiative to remove Galushchenko after an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) alleged that he was involved, during his tenure as Energy Minister, in a bribery network worth at least $100 million.

The scheme reportedly involved contracts awarded by Energoatom, the state nuclear energy company, to private firms. 

According to a prosecutor with the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), the network’s leader is believed to be Timur Mindich — a businessman and former associate of President Zelensky.

Mindich allegedly exerted “direct influence” over Galushchenko and former Defense Minister Rustem Umérov, now head of the National Security Council and Kyiv’s chief negotiator in talks with Russia. 

Ukraine at war and internal strife within its government

The NABU claims that Galushchenko received “personal benefits” from Mindich in exchange for control over funds flowing through the energy sector — at a time when Ukraine’s power infrastructure is under constant attack by Russian forces. 

Deputy Minister of European Integration Liudmila Sugak has temporarily assumed Galushchenko’s responsibilities while the investigation continues. 

The scandal comes just months after a heated political dispute over control of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies. Last summer, a bill that sought to limit their independence triggered nationwide protests, forcing President Zelensky to withdraw the measure amid mounting domestic and international pressure. 

The Kremlin quickly responded. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the United States and the European Union to “pay attention to the corruption in Ukraine,” claiming that “a large portion of the money collected from Western taxpayers is being stolen by the Kyiv regime.” 

Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, has long accused the government in Kyiv of systemic corruption — an argument now used to discredit its Western-backed leadership.