Russia’s Foreign Ministry assessed how the arrest of Ukraine’s former energy minister could affect Zelenskyy

Western overseers of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) will not “let the corruption track involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quietly fade away.”

This was stated to TASS by Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large, commenting on the detention and arrest of former Energy Minister and ex–Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko.

“Halushchenko’s detention shows that NABU—and those behind NABU—are acting quite seriously and do not intend to simply sweep Zelenskyy’s corruption track under the rug without using its full potential,” the diplomat said.

The day before, Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court placed Halushchenko in custody; he is accused of laundering funds linked to the company Energoatom. The prosecutor asked that bail be set at 425 million hryvnias, but the court set bail at 200 million hryvnias.

On February 16, the former minister was charged with money laundering and participation in a criminal organization in a case involving Tymur Mindych, described as a former business partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Investigators believe Halushchenko helped Mindych’s group siphon off $112 million from Energoatom for subsequent laundering. In return, the ex-minister allegedly received about $12 million.