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In a significant development on Sunday, Ukraine’s former energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, was apprehended by authorities as he attempted to leave the country. Sources have confirmed to Fox News Digital that Halushchenko was detained after being removed from a train at the border.
The arrest was initiated following requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). This development highlights an intensifying anti-corruption investigation that is impacting various political figures.
“Halushchenko attempted to flee Ukraine,” revealed the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The source further explained, “Border guards had been alerted by NABU and SAPO about him, and were instructed to gather information in the event he tried to leave the country.”
The detention is part of the ongoing Operation Midas, which is probing alleged $100 million kickbacks linked to Energoatom, the nuclear company. This case underscores the broader efforts by Ukrainian authorities to root out corruption within the political and corporate sectors.
Ukrainian authorities detained former energy minister Herman Halushchenko in the Operation Midas probe investigating alleged $100 million kickbacks at Energoatom nuclear company. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
“This essentially means that because he tried to cross, the president has lost some control here.”
NABU released a statement on the matter Sunday but did not name Halushchenko, according to the Kyiv Post. Â
He had served as the country’s energy minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but resigned in November.
“Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the ‘Midas’ case,” the agency said in a statement, referring to a corruption scandal in the country’s energy sector.
“Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow,” NABU added.
Halushchenko had served under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)
Operation Midas centers on allegations of a $100 million embezzlement scheme within Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company.
Investigators say funds meant for critical energy infrastructure, including wartime grid repairs after Russian attacks, were siphoned off through contract kickbacks.
Halushchenko was one of several ministers who resigned in 2025 as NABU uncovered what it described as the massive money-laundering scheme orchestrated by Tymur Mindich, also an ally of Zelenskyy.
The controversy has also affected border operations. Border head Serhiy Deineko was dismissed in January, the Kyiv Independent reported.
On Jan. 4, Valerii Vavryniuk, the agency’s first deputy, was appointed acting head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), according to to Pravda.
“The last border head had also been accused of corruption,” the source said. “There is a new acting head of the border service who is not loyal to Zelenskyy but more so to the institutions.”
“With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,” a source told Fox News Digital. (Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The source also said since Halushchenko was considered an “unofficial but direct subordinate” of Zelenskyy, this latest arrest will prove difficult for Ukraine’s leader.
“Halushchenko had been [an] (unofficial but direct) subordinate to Zelenskyy, so if his corruption is proven then it will be hard to convince people the president knew nothing,” they said.
“With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,” the source added.
The developments come as Zelenskyy continues to navigate Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Ukrainian servicemen ride atop an APC toward frontline positions near Vuhledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 1, 2023. (Libkos/AP Photo)
The source described high emotion inside the Ukraine parliament with Zelenskyy’s “stress rising” in the wake of Herman Halushchenko’s arrest.
“Recently Zelenskyy became angry over initiatives in parliament that were not pushed through, and he shouted and threatened parliamentarians,” the source said.
“This week he appeared quite emotionally uncontrollable and almost aggressive behind the camera, so some parliamentarians have seen his stress rise many times recently – and more than pre-war levels,” they said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Zelenskyy’s office for comment.