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Why was Galushchenko detained at the border?
Summary
A look back at the arrest of Ukraine's former energy minister on 15 February 2026 as part of Operation Midas.
What happened to Ukraine's former energy minister on 15 February 2026? German Galushchenko was arrested at the state border by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), in connection with Operation Midas.
The bureau alleged that he was involved in a kickback scheme in the energy sector worth ₴4 billion, about US$100 million. As reported at the time, he was detained as he tried to leave Ukraine by train, amid corruption accusations against him.
What Operation Midas is
Operation Midas is an investigation run by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. It was launched in 2024 and concerns large-scale bribery in Ukraine's energy sector, committed during the Russo-Ukrainian war.
According to the later description of the case, the data-collection phase lasted 15 months. Investigators carried out more than 70 searches, seized 4 million US dollars and obtained about 1,000 hours of audio recordings of the suspects' conversations.
The arrest of 15 February 2026 was a notable step in that investigation, since it involved a former holder of the energy portfolio at the centre of the alleged scheme.
