© NABU According to journalists, Herman Galushchenko allowed the advance payment to the figurehead company.
One of the accused in the affair regarding the misappropriation of nearly UAH 100 million from NAEK Energoatom was deported to Ukraine from Germany, as declared by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. The funds were intended for allocation towards the erection of the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility within the Chornobyl exclusion zone.
“At that period, the defendant was at the helm of a privately owned construction firm. In league with Energoatom personnel, he furnished equipment for the radiation monitoring system at prices inflated threefold. The participants of the group pocketed the margin,” the NABU stated.
The defendant was declared wanted in November of 2023. It was only in April of 2025, facilitated by the assistance of German authorities, that he was apprehended. He was transferred to Ukrainian law enforcement officials at the Krakovets-Korchova international border crossing point.
The investigation into the matter was finalized in January of the previous year. Law enforcement personnel determined that in 2020, the Atomproektinzhiniring branch of Energoatom, bypassing competitive tendering, entered into an agreement to finalize the construction of the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in the Chornobyl area.
Via supplementary agreements, the suspects augmented the contract’s cost from UAH 421 million to UAH 1.497 billion. Specifically, the defendants incorporated equipment for the radiation control framework into the supply conditions. The contracting enterprise procured this equipment at prevailing market prices, yet in 2021, Energoatom re-sold it at a significantly higher valuation.
Besides the director of the private enterprise, the individuals suspected encompassed:
- Director-General of a discrete division of SE NAEK Energoatom;
- Chief of the Cost Estimates and Agreements Department of a Discrete Subdivision of SE NAEK Energoatom;
- An associate within the legal department of a private organization.
It is noteworthy that just days prior, “Schemes” journalist Georgy Shabayev highlighted that at that juncture, a down payment of UAH 210 million to the very same private firm was greenlit by Herman Galushchenko, who, at the time, held a high-ranking position at Energoatom and presently serves as the Minister of Justice. Concurrently, as per the journalist, the monetary funds were channeled into the company’s accounts before the formal signing of the contract.
“Energoatom finalizes a contract for the completion of the Chornobyl installation on December 9, 2020, and an advance payment of UAH 210 million is processed to BC KBR LLC on December 7. And Herman Galushchenko personally sanctions it with his endorsement,” Shabayev articulated, further noting that the official did not incur any penal or administrative liability for this action.
Schemes
Conversely, at the start of the preceding week, the State Bureau of Investigation took Volodymyr Kudrytskyi into custody under suspicion of swindling on a remarkably substantial scale. The court ordered Kudrytskyi’s confinement for a duration of 60 days, presenting the avenue for bail at a sum of 13 million 730 thousand 810 hryvnias. The subsequent day, bail was furnished for him, and he was discharged from provisional incarceration.
Volodymyr Kudrytskyi was relieved of his responsibilities as the head of NEK on September 2, 2024. He had presided over the company’s directorate since August 2020. His contractual engagement was slated to conclude in August 2025. As reported by ZN.UA, the resolution was enacted following the barrages upon energy infrastructure, and the formal rationale was the inefficacy of shielding power facilities, despite the fact that, in numerous instances, the defenses were operational during the invasion. In advance of this, the media publicized that Kudrytskyi was prompted to tender his resignation of his own volition, yet he demurred.
Bankova harbored an aversion towards Kudrytskyi from the onset. Empowered with corporate administration, he disregarded the Ministry of Energy and the “Galushchenko faction” . He undermined Energoatom’s deals involving bags of quotes that were substantially diminished – fourfold lower – at Ukrenergo. He established anti-drone defenses at virtually every substation, funded by partners, which starkly contrasted the “accomplishments” of the broader energy domain. Most notably, Ukrenergo garnered international funding surpassing the relevant ministry by a factor of three and steadfastly precluded “Galushchenko’s affiliates” from accessing its benefits. Consequently, Kudrytskyi was dismissed amidst uproar, alleviation, and the anticipation that he would never resurface…
Delve deeper into the case through Yulia Samayeva’s piece, “ The Kudrytskyi Case: Why Bankova is Persecuting the Ex-Head of Ukrenergo .”
