Ukrainian MP suggests energy minister may have fled country

A Ukrainian lawmaker has suggested that the country’s Minister of Energy, Svitlana Hrynchuk, may have fled Ukraine.

Mariana Bezuhla, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, made the claim in a post on her Telegram channel, stating: “It is possible that Svitlana Hrynchuk has fled.” Bezuhla did not provide further details regarding the alleged departure.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, officially submitted her resignation on November 12, amid a sweeping anti-corruption investigation into the state-owned nuclear company Energoatom.

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Midas,” alleges that contractors working with Energoatom paid kickbacks of 10–15% to secure contracts or avoid payment delays. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy backed Hrynchuk’s departure, framing it as a “matter of trust” given the ongoing probe.

Hrynchuk strongly denied any wrongdoing, stating that there were “no violations of legislation within her professional activity” and insisting that “such facts cannot exist in principle.”

She also rejected speculation about her personal relationships, calling such rumours “inappropriate.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev