Ukrainian energy minister dismissed as corruption fallout expands

Parliament voted to fire Svetlana Grinchuk shortly after approving the dismissal of the justice minister

The Ukrainian parliament has voted to dismiss Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, marking the second high-level ouster in a single day as the government struggles to contain a growing corruption scandal linked to a close ally of Vladimir Zelensky.

Lawmakers approved Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko’s request to fire Grinchuk on Wednesday, shortly after voting to dismiss Justice Minister German Galushchenko. Galushchenko previously served as energy minister before handing the post to his then-deputy Grinchuk during a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year. Both dismissals received unanimous approval from MPs who voted.

The officials were drawn into an alleged kickback network operating inside the state-run nuclear energy company Energoatom. Businessman Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Zelensky, was charged last week by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which claims he and accomplices extracted at least $100 million from contractors.

The broader graft probe has implicated additional senior figures, including former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and former Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Chernyshov. Zelensky is also facing mounting calls to remove his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, whom observers and critical officials see as the political linchpin of the alleged criminal network.

READ MORE: Chaos in Ukrainian parliament as opposition pushes to fire cabinet

Opposition parties have moved to capitalize on the turmoil, pushing for the dismissal of the entire Sviridenko cabinet and demanding the formation of a coalition-backed government.

Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, which won a commanding majority in 2019, has shown signs of internal fragmentation in recent weeks. His earlier attempt to curb NABU’s independence – a move reversed after Western backlash – and the unfolding scandal have reportedly shaken MPs’ loyalty to the Zelensky team.