{"id":3023,"date":"2026-02-15T22:56:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T22:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=3023"},"modified":"2026-02-15T22:56:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T22:56:23","slug":"former-ukraine-energy-minister-herman-halushchenko-detained-fleeing-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=3023","title":{"rendered":"Former Ukraine energy minister Herman Halushchenko detained fleeing country"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ukraine\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Herman Halushchenko’s arrest, the source said, followed requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office (SAPO) and marked an uptick in an anti-corruption probe engulfing the political spectrum.<\/p>\n

“Halushchenko tried to escape Ukraine,” the source said under the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

“The border guards<\/a> had a request from NABU and SAPO about him and also to get information in case he tried to cross the border,” they added.<\/p>\n

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STAYS SILENT AS MASSIVE UKRAINE CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS ZELENSKYY’S INNER CIRCLE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Ukrainian authorities detained former energy minister Herman Halushchenko in the Operation Midas probe investigating alleged $100 million kickbacks at Energoatom nuclear company.<\/span> (Valentyn Ogirenko\/Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“This essentially means that because he tried to cross, the president has lost some control here.”<\/p>\n

NABU released a statement on the matter Sunday but did not name Halushchenko, according to the Kyiv Post<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

He had served as the country\u2019s energy minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but resigned in November.<\/p>\n

“Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the \u2018Midas\u2019 case,” the agency said in a statement, referring to a corruption scandal in the country\u2019s energy sector.<\/p>\n

“Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow,” NABU added.<\/p>\n

\u2018GOLDEN TOILET\u2019 SCANDAL: ZELENSKYY FACES DEEPEST CRISIS YET AS ALLIES ACCUSED IN $100M WARTIME SCHEME<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Halushchenko had served under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.<\/span> (Sergei Grits\/AP Photo)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Operation Midas centers on allegations of a $100 million embezzlement scheme<\/a> within Energoatom, Ukraine\u2019s state-owned nuclear energy company.<\/p>\n

Investigators say funds meant for critical energy infrastructure, including wartime grid repairs after Russian attacks, were siphoned off through contract kickbacks.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The controversy has also affected border operations. Border head Serhiy Deineko was dismissed in January, the Kyiv <\/a>Independent <\/a>reported.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 4, Valerii Vavryniuk, the agency\u2019s first deputy, was appointed acting head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), according to to Pravda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

FORMER UKRAINIAN PM ACCUSED OF BRIBING POLITICIANS WITH US DOLLARS TO WEAKEN ZELENSKYY’S GOVERNMENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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“With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,” a source told Fox News Digital.<\/span> (Pavlo Bahmut\/Ukrinform\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,” the source added.<\/p>\n

The developments come as Zelenskyy continues to navigate Ukraine\u2019s war with Russia.<\/a><\/p>\n

TOP UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN ZELENSKYY GOVERNMENT SUBMIT RESIGNATIONS AMID $100 MILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Ukrainian servicemen ride atop an APC toward frontline positions near Vuhledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 1, 2023.<\/span> (Libkos\/AP Photo)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The source described high emotion inside the Ukraine parliament with Zelenskyy’s “stress rising” in the wake of Herman Halushchenko’s arrest.<\/p>\n

“Recently Zelenskyy became angry over initiatives in parliament that were not pushed through, and he shouted and threatened parliamentarians,” the source said.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“This week he appeared quite emotionally uncontrollable and almost aggressive behind the camera, so some parliamentarians have seen his stress rise many times recently \u2013 and more than pre-war levels,” they said.<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital has reached out to Zelenskyy’s office for comment.<\/p>\n

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Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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