The Supervisory Board of Ukrainian nuclear utility Energoatom has adopted a series of decisions aimed at strengthening integrity, accountability, and corporate governance. The actions were taken at an extraordinary meeting in response to information from anti-corruption authorities.
The Ukrainian government in January approved the selection of four independent members for the new supervisory board after the previous board was dismissed in November as part of the ongoing investigation into corruption by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
Energoatom is the largest producer of electricity in Ukraine and manages the Ukraine’s Rivne, Khmelnitsky and South Ukraine NPPs NPPs (Zaporizhia NPP is now part of Russia’s Rosatom). Energoatom has faced numerous accusations of corruption, particularly bribery and embezzlement.
On 10 November 2025, NABU claimed that a criminal group was operating Energoatom, members of which took kickbacks from contractors in the amount of 10-15% of the value of contracts. NABU did not initially name those involved. The names were later revealed and widely reported by Ukrainian media. They included businessman Timur Mindich, former advisor to the Minister of Energy Igor Myronyuk, Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security of Energoatom Dmitry Basov, and former Energy Minister (subsequently Justice Minister) German Galushchenko. Earlier, in August, Energoatom President Petro Kotin was dismissed from his post on separate corruption charges.
Galushchenko was arrested in February aboard a Kyiv–Warsaw train while attempting to flee the country. He has been formally charged with money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation. Kotin is accused of illicit enrichment, abuse of authority, embezzlement and misappropriation of property and abuse of whistleblowers. However, he managed to escape to Poland avoiding arrest.
The new Supervisory Board on 8 May received a referral from NABU identifying facts that may indicate the commission of criminal offences by certain other Energoatom officials. The information was corroborated by a separate complaint. In response the Supervisory Board directed the following actions, to be taken:
- Internal investigation – A formal internal investigation has been opened into the circumstances set out in the NABU referral and the corroborating complaint. The Supervisory Board will be kept informed of progress.
- Suspension of employees – Several Energoatom employees were suspended from work and from the performance of their duties for the duration of the investigation.
- Organisational restructuring – to strengthen control over the executive body’s activities, the Supervisory Board has instructed the reorganisation of specific structural units of the Company responsible for physical protection and economic security. The restructuring is to be implemented by 19 June 2026.
The Supervisory Board said it considers cooperation with anti-corruption authorities critically important. It fully supports independent investigations, expects complete cooperation from Energoatom and its employees, and views accountability and transparency as essential for restoring public trust. The Supervisory Board records its appreciation to NABU for the referral, “and to the source whose complaint corroborated the matters identified”.
The Supervisory Board has authorised the retention of an international executive search firm to support the merit-based selection of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Nuclear Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and other positions appointed by the Supervisory Board.
“A merit-based selection process, conducted free of interference, is the only way to attract candidates of the calibre this Company requires, and the only basis on which Energoatom’s international partners — whose financing and operational support are essential — will sustain their engagement. Energoatom is operating Europe’s largest nuclear fleet under wartime conditions; that responsibility allows for no other standard. The Supervisory Board will conduct the process on that basis, and on no other.”
The Supervisory Board records, finally, what Energoatom’s more than 30,000 employees have achieved. They have maintained the safe operation of a national nuclear fleet generating over 55 per cent of Ukraine’s electricity through more than four years of war. In 2025, the Company recorded its lowest number of significant safety events in recent years. They ended Ukraine’s dependence on Russian nuclear fuel by transitioning the Company’s uranium, enrichment, and fuel fabrication supplies to Western partners.
“They have done all of this notwithstanding a series of unacceptable behaviours and harmful actions in recent years that have undermined the compliance culture on which a nuclear operator depends. The Supervisory Board is determined to bring these to an end, restore integrity, and rebuild that culture. It will continue to work closely with the investigative authorities to ensure that misconduct is addressed and, where required, that those responsible are held to account. Energoatom’s employees deserve governance worthy of their service, and this Supervisory Board is determined to provide it.”
