President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced plans to overhaul Ukraine's energy sector following a $100m (£76m) kickback scheme alleged by anti-corruption investigators, the worst scandal of his presidency. The president said he had instructed the government to submit an urgent law to parliament to change the composition of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission, and promised new leaders at other energy bodies.
The scandal centres on state nuclear operator Energoatom, where a criminal gang allegedly forced counterparties to pay kickbacks of 10-15% to avoid payment blocks or loss of supplier status. Ukrainian media reported that one of the senior figures involved is Timur Mindich, a businessman and co-owner of a media production company founded by Zelenskyy before he became president. Mindich fled Kyiv hours before investigators came to arrest him, escaping to Poland and believed to be hiding in Israel.
Zelenskyy’s reform promises came during a visit to Athens, where he witnessed the signing of a deal to enable Ukraine to import US-supplied liquefied natural gas through Greece between December 2025 and March 2026. The agreement between Greece’s state-owned gas company DEPA Commercial and Ukraine’s Naftogaz is intended to compensate for losses caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
The corruption allegations have caused outrage in Ukraine and put pressure on Zelenskyy to prove to European allies that he is serious about tackling corruption, a key condition for EU membership. The president has already sacked his justice and energy ministers, both implicated in the affair, though they deny wrongdoing. The scandal comes as Kyiv faces a budget shortfall and EU leaders are deadlocked over a €140bn loan for Ukraine based on frozen Russian assets.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is blocking Ukraine’s EU accession talks, has seized on the investigation, claiming it shows a “wartime mafia network” with ties to Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb urged European leaders to increase support for Ukraine while praising Zelenskyy’s wartime leadership.
