Ex‑energy minister detained at border amid Operation Midas probe

Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the 'Midas' case," the National Anti‑Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said, as investigators pulled the former minister from a train during an attempt to leave the country.

NABU's statement did not name the detainee, but Ukrainian media identified him as German Galushchenko (also transliterated Herman Halushchenko). Local reporting, citing border officials and anti‑corruption sources, said the operation took place on the night of February 14–15 and that border guards detained him after receiving a request from NABU and the Specialized Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, SAPO. Radio Free Europe reported he was being transported to Kyiv for further questioning.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that the former minister attempted to use his status as a father of a large family to cross the frontier, a status that can, under Ukrainian rules, permit travel abroad for men with three or more children under 18 and can affect mobilisation privileges. SAPO later confirmed that NABU detectives carried out the detention as part of Operation Midas.

The detention comes amid a widening probe into alleged embezzlement and money‑laundering in Ukraine's energy sector. Investigators disclosed the scandal last November; the BBC has cited an estimate that roughly $100 million may have been diverted. NABU added that "Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow."

The Midas operation has already ensnared other senior figures. Former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov was arrested in November on suspicion of illicit enrichment and charged with abuse of office, and business associate Tymur Mindich, a reported co‑owner of the Kvartal95 studio once linked to President Volodymyr Zelensky, was reported to have fled the country after being flagged as a suspect. The scandal also prompted the resignation of successive ministers: the detained official had served three years as energy minister and was briefly justice minister when asked to step down in November; his successor Svitlana Hrynchuk also resigned after being implicated.

Public outrage has been acute because the alleged enrichment is tied to an essential sector at a time when Russia was intensifying attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure before a harsh winter. The prominence of figures close to Kyiv’s leadership and the size of purported asset flows have intensified scrutiny of anti‑corruption institutions and of the government's reform credentials, matters observers say are central to Ukraine's EU accession ambitions.

Legal and procedural details remain limited. Euronews cited a member of parliament, Oleksiy Honcharenko, saying the former minister has been served with a notice of suspicion; NABU has not yet published the full text of charges or court orders. Investigators are expected to present further documentation in Kyiv, where prosecutors will decide whether to seek pre‑trial measures.

The detention marks a significant escalation in a probe that has already rattled Kyiv. Authorities say they will provide additional information in due course, while the case is likely to shape domestic politics and Ukraine's international reform narrative in the months ahead.