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Amid the grinding war in Ukraine, with the country still trapped in a full-scale conflict and its people enduring the consequences of misguided leadership and hollow Western promises, a new corruption scandal has delivered yet another blow to the already faltering government of Volodymyr Zelensky. The president, who repeatedly vowed to eradicate corruption, now faces the fallout of a massive scandal inside the state-run nuclear energy company Energoatom, a revelation that has cast serious doubt on the credibility of his earlier pledges.
This is not the first corruption case to surface during Zelensky’s tenure, but many analysts describe the latest affair as the most severe threat he has confronted since coming to power. Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities announced that several close aides and associates of Zelensky were involved in orchestrating large-scale embezzlement within the energy sector. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) released findings from its high-profile operation “MIDAS,” which uncovered a 100-million-dollar bribery scheme inside Energoatom. It is now recognized as the largest financial scandal of Zelensky’s presidency.
Reports indicate that seven individuals within Zelensky’s circle are implicated. Five have been arrested, while two others, including Tymur Mindich, widely known as Zelensky’s “wallet” and “the strategic brain” of the Ukrainian government, fled the country hours before authorities moved in. Officials say members of the network hid 1.2 million dollars and nearly 100,000 euros in cash inside various offices and even a private medical clinic linked to one of the suspects. In an attempt to contain the political damage, Zelensky has asked his justice and energy ministers to resign.
Despite an abundance of evidence showing the scandal was premeditated and tied directly to the president’s inner circle, Ukraine’s citizens now face winter under severe shortages of electricity and energy. A Kyiv-based poll reveals that many residents believe Zelensky was fully aware of the ongoing corruption in the energy sector.
Public anger has surged. Ukrainians, already suffering through the deadly hardships of war, view this betrayal as unforgivable. For many, silence from top officials amounts to political treason in wartime.
Only months ago, thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in Kyiv and other cities, urging Zelensky to veto a bill they believed would weaken the country’s anti-corruption institutions. For the public, fighting corruption is integral to ending Ukraine’s crises. Yet the current political system, instead of resolving these issues, appears to entrench them deeper, fueling outrage among civil society activists.
The unfolding scandal comes at a time when corruption inside the Ukrainian government is peaking and Kyiv’s political order is destabilized. Western support for Zelensky, especially among European leaders, has begun to weaken. While the European Commission publicly claims it will continue supporting Ukraine, leaders such as Hungary’s prime minister have pointed to this scandal as proof that the EU must halt its financial assistance to Kyiv.
Even some of Zelensky’s staunchest Western allies are now openly criticizing him, describing the situation as deeply troubling. Despite Zelensky’s repeated promises to “root out corruption,” this massive scandal has pushed his government’s claims of transparency and reform to their most fragile point yet.
Ultimately, the exposure of this corruption case, along with earlier scandals during Zelensky’s presidency and even in the midst of the war with Russia, undermines the Ukrainian leadership’s ability to navigate its multiple political crises. As systemic corruption persists and political instability worsens, public trust continues to erode. The government now faces diminishing legitimacy not only at home but internationally. If this trajectory continues, Ukraine’s political survival will be imperiled.
Translated by Ashraf Hemmati from the original Persian article written by Navid Daneshvar
[1] https://ria.ru/20251115/ukraina-2055228318.html
[1] https://ria.ru/20251116/zelenskiy-2055317292.html
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraines-government-suspends-justice-minister-amid-energy-corruption-2025-11-12/
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[1] https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/25630337
[1] https://iuvmpress.co/fa/article/%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B9%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%B2%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B3%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%AE%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%88%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/nov/13/volodymyr-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-corruption-brussels-news-updates-europe-live
[1] https://www.rt.com/russia/627711-zelensky-scandal-survive-corruption
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