Ukraine’s former energy minister was arrested on Sunday after being removed from a train at the border while reportedly attempting to flee the country, according to a source who spoke with Fox News Digital.
According to the source, Herman Halushchenko’s arrest came in response to requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and it signified an increase in an anti-corruption investigation that is sweeping the political landscape.
“Halushchenko tried to escape Ukraine,” the source said under the condition of anonymity.
“The border guards had a request from NABU and SAPO about him and also to get information in case he tried to cross the border,” they added.
“This essentially means that because he tried to cross, the president has lost some control here.”
According to the Kyiv Post, the NABU issued a statement on the matter on Sunday but did not name Halushchenko.
He previously served as the country’s energy minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but resigned in November.
“Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the ‘Midas’ case,” the agency said in a statement, referring to a corruption scandal in the country’s energy sector.
“Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow,” NABU added.
Operation Midas revolves around charges of a $100 million embezzlement plan at Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy firm.
Investigators believe monies intended for crucial energy infrastructure, such as wartime grid repairs following Russian strikes, were diverted through contract kickbacks.
Halushchenko was among several ministers who resigned in 2025 after NABU discovered what it alleged as a vast money-laundering conspiracy led by Tymur Mindich, a Zelenskyy friend.
The debate has also hampered border operations. Serhiy Deineko, the border chief, was fired in January, according to the Kyiv Independent.
According to Pravda, Valerii Vavryniuk, the agency’s first deputy, was appointed acting head of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service (SBGS) on January 4.
“The last border head had also been accused of corruption,” the source said. “There is a new acting head of the border service who is not loyal to Zelenskyy but more so to the institutions.”
The source further stated that because Halushchenko was regarded a “unofficial but direct subordinate” of Zelenskyy, the current arrest will be problematic for Ukraine’s leader.
“Halushchenko had been [an] (unofficial but direct) subordinate to Zelenskyy, so if his corruption is proven then it will be hard to convince people the president knew nothing,” they said.
“With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,” the source added.
The developments come as Zelenskyy continues to negotiate Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
The source noted intense emotion inside Ukraine’s parliament, with Zelenskyy’s “stress rising” following Herman Halushchenko’s arrest.
“Recently Zelenskyy became angry over initiatives in parliament that were not pushed through, and he shouted and threatened parliamentarians,” the source said.
“This week he appeared quite emotionally uncontrollable and almost aggressive behind the camera, so some parliamentarians have seen his stress rise many times recently – and more than pre-war levels,” they said.
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