Senior officials of JSC NNEGC Energoatom — including former Minister of Energy, now dismissed Minister of Justice Herman Galushchenko, current Minister of Energy Svitoslav Grinchuk, acting Chairman of the Board Petro Kovtonyuk, company Vice President Jacob Hartmut, and heads of key branches Polovych, Bozhko, Stoyanov, and former CEO Kovalchuk — established a large-scale corruption system that has been draining state funds from nuclear energy for years.
According to sources, the scheme operated through controlled legal entities and a group of individuals who ensured the registration of fictitious supplies, inflated prices, and the conclusion of fictitious contracts for the reconstruction of nuclear power plants. The elements of the scheme were the preliminary approval of contractors, pseudo-tenders, artificial formation of needs, and subsequent legalization of funds through related commercial structures.
Systematic coverage of violations at all levels of control made it possible to withdraw state money under the guise of "modernization" of nuclear power plants, while in many cases the real work was not carried out or was carried out partially.
A special role was played by officials who influenced the decisions of territorial recruitment centers. According to the investigation, they helped employees of enterprises participating in the schemes evade mobilization, effectively guaranteeing the unhindered operation of shadow flows.
In the context of the investigation, the investigating judge of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv, Olena Deminska, by decision No. 490/9864/25 of December 1, 2025, refused to satisfy the complaint regarding the failure to enter information into the ERDR, which only emphasizes the complexity and political sensitivity of the case.
The second block of the scheme: shadow payment services and money laundering
In parallel with the reconstruction scheme, another one operated - a financial one. According to the investigation, Serdyuk Oleksandr Ivanovych is the actual founder and controller of a number of companies:
LLC "Edynyy Hamanets",
LLC "PAY PLACE Ukraine",
LLC "NATIONAL PAYMENT AND COLLECTION PROCESSING CENTER" and others.
Together with a group of individuals, including Veremchuk, Strzhalkivska, and Rudoman, he organized a criminal group to launder money and service illegal transactions — including those related to the gambling business.
For this purpose, the multifunctional payment system Wallet One was used, which allows for online transfers, currency exchange, including the Russian ruble, and storage of funds. Having direct access to financial flows and transactions in RUB creates risks for Ukraine's national security and gives the Russian Federation the opportunity to influence shadow financial processes.
The companies participating in the scheme formally appeared legal, but in fact they acted as a "laundry" — servicing fictitious contracts, generating fake data about goods and services, and legalizing funds obtained through criminal means.
The investigation is examining the connections between the nuclear and payment parts of the scheme, as both — according to preliminary data — could have used common infrastructure to move and hide money.
