Theft conspiracy rocks Ukraine
Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reports in a “Special Report” on politicians and associates of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly involved in an energy corruption scandal.
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President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky announced new efforts to clean up the country's energy sector amid a corruption scandal and near-constant attacks from Russia.
Zelensky met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko on Sunday morning, saying he called on lawmakers to update the leadership of the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation and the State Inspectorate for Energy Supervision, as well as take other measures to root out Russian influence in the sector.
“In full coordination with law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, ensure the renewal of the Agency for the Return and Management of Assets and promptly complete the competition for the position of head of ARMA, so that the new head of the agency is elected by the end of this year,” Zelensky wrote on X.
He further called on lawmakers to “expeditiously review and prepare for sale assets and shares in assets that belonged to Russian organizations and collaborators who fled to Russia. All such assets must work one hundred percent in the interests of Ukraine – to support our defense and contribute to the budget of Ukraine.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, is pushing ahead with new efforts to root out corruption in the country's energy sector. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The new energy initiative also comes after a former Zelensky associate was accused of being the mastermind of a $100 million embezzlement scheme linked to nuclear power.
Timur Mindich, who was once Zelensky's business partner, was named by Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities as the organizer scheme with the participation of top officials and the State Nuclear Energy Company of Ukraine. Before the scandal, some feared Mindich's growing influence over lucrative Ukrainian industries to which he had access because of his ties to Zelensky.
Mindich allegedly controlled the loyalists, who then pressured contractors at Energoatom, Ukraine's state-owned nuclear energy company, to demand kickbacks, bypassing bureaucratic hurdles. Requested kickbacks were reported to be as high as 15%.
Zelensky himself is not involved in the investigation.
FORMER ZELENSKY'S COMRADE ACCUSED OF STEALING SCHEM OF 100 MILLION DOLLARS
Ukrainian deputies vote for a bill that would strip anti-corruption institutions of their independence, July 22, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Parliament decided to limit the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. (Andrey Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The new efforts come after Zelensky said his team was “working to ensure a new start to negotiations” to end the war with Russia.
“We also count on the resumption of the exchange of prisoners of war – there are now many meetings, negotiations and calls to ensure this. I thank everyone who helps. Thanks to everyone who supports Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote.
Zelensky is trying to fend off the consequences of a corruption scandal in the energy sector.
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The Ukrainian president further stated that he was preparing for a full week of diplomacy with Greece, France and Spain, as well as the resumption of negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war with Russia.
Zelensky will meet with officials in Greece on Sunday to discuss natural gas imports. negotiations with France on Monday, while Spain will focus on strengthening Ukrainian air defenses on Tuesday.
Fox News' Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
