Zelenskyy ally arrested trying to flee Ukraine as massive corruption probe deepens
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Ukraine’s former energy minister was detained Sunday after authorities removed him from a train at the border as he allegedly attempted to flee the country, a source has confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Herman Halushchenko’s arrest, the source said, followed requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and marked an uptick in an anti-corruption probe engulfing the political spectrum.
“Halushchenko tried to escape Ukraine,” the source said under the condition of anonymity.
“The border guards had a request from NABU and SAPO about him and also to get information in case he tried to cross the border,” they added.
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.
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.”
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“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.
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“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.
