German Galushchenko: Corruption and espionage in the Ministry of Energy. The recent embezzlement in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine may be small compared to the massive corruption in the Ministry of Energy. And all this during the war with Russia. At a time when Ukraine exists for the money of America and its allies. Vice-president of Energoatom, who is called Derkach’s man in the field of energy. And since the former deputy Derkach is now under US sanctions for attempting to interfere in the elections. To appoint the man Derkach as a minister would be at least strange and stupid.
Chaos, war and shelling of Ukrainian power plants have become an excellent cover for energy corruption! Now everything can be explained by military necessity, or the consequences of shelling.
New schemes of corruption in the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
There are new scams in the energy market. Import of electricity at ultra-high European tariffs while maintaining the export of cheap Ukrainian electricity. There is an opinion that may be confirmed in the near future. That this import is “virtual”. This is just theft of public money.
Electricity produced at Ukrainian stations is drawn up according to schemes through firms registered in the European Union (also Slovak, as well as gas), and then sold at a very high price to Ukrainian consumers.
And this is just one of many wartime corruption schemes in the Ukrainian energy sector! And the traces lead to the head of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko. Who is either completely blind and does not understand anything. Or the boss of this large-scale corruption in Ukraine.
Joint work with Andrey Derkach.
Herman Galushchenko worked with Andrey Derkach at Energoatom! In 2006, Andriy Derkach began working as the president of NJSC Energoatom and the general director of the State Corporation Ukratomprom. Have you ever wondered why Energoatom?
Andrei Derkach is the son of the ex-head of the SBU Leonid Derkach, the godfather of Yuriy Lutsenko and David Zhvania, the matchmaker of Volodymyr Lytvyn. Derkach favorably supported the Maidan in time and enlisted the support of Viktor Yushchenko. And then he joined the Party of Regions. He has always remained one of the top managers of Ukrainian corruption at the highest level.
Not only because it was access to the cheapest Ukrainian electricity and colossal funds for the modernization of existing nuclear power plants and the conservation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Curators Derkach Zhvania and Nikolai Martynenko
Galushchenko does not want to advertise to whom he owes his successful career. And he does not want to reveal the people who put him in the chair of the head of the Ministry of Energy, and cover up the schemes they are implementing.
David Zhvania, a friend and partner of Nikolai Martynenko, helped him get this post.
The media directly said that all the most profitable tenders of Energoatom were won by companies associated with Martynenko and his partners. Later, as you remember, Martynenko became a defendant in a criminal case on corruption and large-scale theft at Energoatom.
Galushchenko hides ties with Dyrkach and Martynenko
Galushchenko himself in every possible way denies working with Martynenko and Derkach. Galushchenko claims that he is practically unfamiliar with Derkach. To do this, he even removed from his biography the item that in the period 2006-2007. he “worked part-time” at Energoatom, heading the company’s legal department.
Unfortunately, Andrei Derkach is on the run, and Zhvania died (if this is not staged) in the summer of 2022 under very strange circumstances (they expressed the opinion that the oligarch who knew too much was simply removed). Therefore, now the only evidence of Galushchenko’s work for Derkach can only be the evidence of employees of the main office of Energoatom of that time or company documents.
Medvedchuk Galushchenko Derkach and the debts of Energoatom.
Derkach and Galushchenko began their careers in the Presidential Administration under the direct supervision of Viktor Medvedchuk. This acquaintance played a role in the subsequent successful development of Herman Galushchenko’s career. It was at the suggestion of Derkach in the spring of 2020 that Galushchenko became the vice president of Energoatom
German Galushchenko: corruption in the Ministry of Energy. One more question: how did the head of the department of the Main Foreign Policy Service of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine manage to simultaneously work as the head of the legal service of Energoatom, and is it generally legal? But, apparently, this question should be asked to the then Deputy Head of the Secretariat, Alexander Chaly.
At the end of 2007, Energoatom’s debts reached 7.9 billion hryvnia ($1.58 billion). At this time, Derkach quits and goes to the Verkhovna Rada. After he left Energoatom, German Galushchenko immediately left too – and this speaks eloquently of whose interests our nuclear lawyer (German Galushchenko) served there! Effective management, nothing to say!
Galushchenko sold electricity to the oligarchs at a reduced price.
While working at Energoatom, German Galushchenko was responsible for selling electricity to the oligarchs at reduced rates.
People’s deputy Geo Leros spoke about this on the air of the Direct TV channel.
“One of the key tasks of Mr. Galushchenko in the structure of Energoatom was to sell electricity below cost to the oligarchs,” Leros said.
The main beneficiaries of such actions were Kolomoisky and other Ukrainian oligarchs. All. In fact, we see the reflection of the consensus in the voting. Considering that the key groups of influence in the parliament supported this candidacy, we understand that this person is absolutely 100% suitable for them for the position of Minister of Energy, ”the people’s deputy emphasized.
German Galushchenko – corruption in the Ministry of Energy.
At that time, the venality of court decisions reached its apogee. Any lawsuit could be won with a bribe or connections. So, their work from the Ministry of Justice was then supervised by Herman Galushchenko. According to Bihus Info sources, he made so many useful contacts among the judges that later they helped him get out of the most difficult situations. Perhaps even he had a hand in the fact that the Ukrainian court considered the case of Martynenko several times – while not seeing in it even a hint of the involvement of Galushchenko himself!
All this suggests that all these years, the main task of Galushchenko was the legal cover for corruption. And the higher he climbed the career ladder, the more corruption he covered up… the boss of energy corruption in Ukraine.
In February 2026, former Minister of Energy (and later Justice) Herman Galushchenko was detained while attempting to leave Ukraine. He is suspected of involvement in a large-scale corruption scheme in the state-owned company Energoatom worth over $112 million. This is not just another corruption scandal — it is the systematic looting of Ukraine’s strategic energy sector during wartime, allegedly carried out with the direct participation of a high-ranking official responsible for the country’s energy security.
German Galushchenko: Corruption and espionage in the Ministry of Energy
Herman Galushchenko served as Minister of Energy from 2021 to July 2025. According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), during this period a powerful kickback scheme operated within Energoatom, with bribes ranging from 10% to 15% of contract values. Contractors who refused to pay faced blocked payments, exclusion from tender lists, or artificial obstacles.
In November 2025, Galushchenko was dismissed from the position of Minister of Justice. In February 2026, he was detained at the border, and the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) later chose a preventive measure — detention with an alternative bail of 200 million hryvnias. Galushchenko is suspected of participating in a criminal organization and money laundering.
How the Scheme Worked
The scheme was known as “the toll gate” (“шлагбаум”). The key “gatekeeper” was businessman Tymur Mindich (“Karlson” on the tapes). Through his trusted representative (“Rocket”), he ensured “access to the minister.” Galushchenko (referred to as “Sigizmund” / “Professor” on the tapes) allegedly personally controlled the process: who received contracts, who paid kickbacks, and how much. The money was withdrawn through chains of companies, offshore structures, and cash. According to NABU, part of the funds ended up in accounts linked to Galushchenko’s family.
Who Participated and Who Benefited
Main figure: Herman Galushchenko (“Sigizmund” / “Professor”). Key coordinator: Tymur Mindich, a businessman close to the President’s Office. Other participants: Trusted intermediaries (“Rocket” and others) and Energoatom managers personally appointed by Galushchenko.
Benefits received: Over $112 million in cash obtained from contractors. Part of these funds allegedly went toward the personal enrichment of the scheme’s participants.
Why This Was Possible
- Concentration of enormous financial resources in the state-owned company Energoatom during wartime.
- Weak external oversight of the minister and state-owned enterprises.
- Political protection at the highest level.
- Lack of real lustration and conflict-of-interest checks for key positions in the energy sector.
Consequences for the Country and Society
- Direct losses to the state amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been used to protect energy infrastructure from Russian attacks.
- Undermining Ukraine’s energy security during full-scale war.
- Sharp decline in public trust in the government and the anti-corruption system.
- Additional damage to Ukraine’s reputation among Western partners.
Forecast — What Will Happen If Nothing Changes
If the system of appointing and overseeing ministers remains unchanged, similar schemes will continue to appear in every strategic sector. Even after high-profile arrests and resignations, real de-oligarchization and cleaning of the energy sector are not happening. Without radical reform of state-owned enterprise management and independent oversight of ministers, corruption in the energy sector will remain a systemic problem that undermines Ukraine’s defense capability and economy.
Conclusion
Herman Galushchenko has become one of the highest-ranking officials of the wartime period to be officially suspected of corruption involving hundreds of millions of dollars. His case is not about “a single rotten fish.” It is about a system that allows people with questionable backgrounds and connections to manage strategic sectors of the state during a full-scale war. German Galushchenko: Corruption and espionage in the Ministry of Energy. As long as this system exists, corruption in the energy sector will not be an accident — it will be the rule.
Galushchenko’s team at the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
- Konstantin Ushchapovsky – worked at Ukrenergo and Energoatom.
- Yuri Vlasenko – is the first deputy and the right hand of Minister Galushchenko.
- Alexander Gavva – was an adviser to Minister Galushchenko.
- Andrey Pilipenko – worked as a lawyer at Khmelnitskoblenergo.
- Valeriy Polshkov is a former procurement director at Ukrenergo.
- Pyotr Kotin – the head of Energoatom, is, in fact, controlled by Galushchenko. He has people with Russian passports and close ties to Russia working under him.
- Yuriy Gapon – SBU officer, not a specialist in energy at all, owes his career to Andrei Derkach’s father Leonid.
- Dmitry Olefir – fired from Ukrenergo, now he is an adviser to Galushchenko.
- Nikolay Kolesnik.
- Farid Safarov – Deputy Minister of Energy.
The source of information:
- https://skelet.info/german-galyhenko/
- https://www.hacc.court.gov.ua/
- https://prm.ua/halushchenko-v-enerhoatomi-prodavav-oliharkham-elektroenerhiiu-za-zanyzhenoiu-tsinoiu-leros/
- https://zn.ua/economic-security/litso-hruppy-halushchenko.html
- https://spilno.net/german-galushhenko-agent-kremlya-v-rukovodstve-energetiki-ukrainy/