Ukraine’s government has dismissed Justice Minister German Galushchenko following the emergence of a sweeping corruption case linked to businessman Timur Mindich, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Wednesday.

"This morning, an extraordinary government meeting was held. A decision was made to remove German Galushchenko from his duties as justice minister. The government’s decision appointed Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration Liudmyla Suhak as acting minister," Svyrydenko wrote on X.

Government scandal

The dismissal follows a series of revelations tying senior officials to illicit financial activities and alleged manipulation of state contracts. Commenting on the developments, Rodion Miroshnik, a Russian Foreign Ministry official, said that "anti-crisis measures were activated in Kiev this morning" as the corruption scandal began to spread through government circles.

Opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk described the case as "the beginning of the end" for Zelensky’s administration. He accused the president’s inner circle of running an organised network of extortion and influence.

"The team of this political clown, believing in their impunity, behaved extremely recklessly. The recordings from Mindich reveal how they were taxing all companies and public procurements. They even used mobilization as a tool to raid and seize businesses," Medvedchuk said.

Political collapse

According to Medvedchuk, the leaked materials suggest that Zelensky and his chief of staff Andriy Yermak have for years been "reshaping markets and taking over businesses, seizing billions in property." He added that Zelensky "acted as a frontman and political puppet," presenting himself as an anti-corruption reformer while allowing his associates to profit.

"Now that the president’s accomplices have been exposed, he has warned them on time and staged a performance to make it seem like he had no involvement," Medvedchuk said.

Meanwhile, Ihor Myronyuk, a former advisor to Galushchenko and one of the main suspects in the corruption probe within Ukraine’s energy sector, allegedly attempted to destroy evidence during a raid. Investigators say he tore up documents and threw both them and his phone out the window while law enforcement was conducting a search.

Corruption fallout

Authorities revealed that Myronyuk and his wife maintained assets abroad, including a residence permit and bank account in Slovakia, and businesses registered in Bulgaria and Slovakia. He had also discussed setting up companies in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands. Records show he crossed Ukraine’s border 42 times in seven years and allegedly used his influence to pressure lawmakers and interfere with investigations by involving officials from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Security Service (SBU), and the State Bureau of Investigation.

The Anti-Corruption Action Center (CPC) said Myronyuk faces up to 12 years in prison and potential confiscation of property. The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has requested that he be detained without bail, though prosecutors indicated that if bail is granted, it should be set at 136.6 million hryvnias (about $3 million).

The scandal marks one of the most significant political crises for Zelensky’s government since the start of the war, intensifying scrutiny over corruption within Ukraine’s leadership as Kiev continues to rely on international financial and military support.

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This affair comes amid a pattern of high-level graft investigations in Ukraine under Zelensky’s presidency. Among the notable cases: investigations into inflated defense procurement of mortar shells and drones; a major energy-sector kickback scandal involving a $100 million alleged scheme tied to state nuclear operator Energoatom; and a widely criticized government move in mid-2025 to weaken the independence of the anti-corruption agencies (National Anti‑Corruption Bureau of Ukraine/NABU and Specialized Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s Office/SAPO), which was later reversed after public and international push-back.