Ukraine’s long-running battle against entrenched corruption has entered a new and decisive phase, as authorities have launched a major operation targeting what they describe as a sophisticated criminal network wielding political influence across the country’s most strategic state-owned energy companies. The investigation, led jointly by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), represents one of the most far-reaching efforts to date to dismantle illicit power structures operating inside Ukraine’s energy sector-a sector that has historically been vulnerable to political manipulation, opaque contracting, and rent-seeking.

After a 15-month investigation, Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies announced they had gathered approximately 1,000 hours of audio recordings that allegedly document the internal operations of a covert group working to steer decision-making inside top companies, including the influential nuclear operator Energoatom. While many operational details remain classified, officials have indicated that the network’s activities enabled its members to exercise unofficial but decisive control over procurement, staffing, strategy, and budget allocation within major state enterprises.

The scale and sensitivity of the targeted institutions suggest that the case could become one of the defining anti-corruption episodes of the post-2014 era-potentially exposing how political elites, business interests, and administrative insiders have exploited Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for private gain, even during wartime.

According to preliminary statements by NABU and SAPO, the network operated by placing loyal individuals in key positions within strategic enterprises and state bodies, allowing them to manipulate internal processes from within. Energoatom-the country’s nuclear energy titan responsible for operating all four of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants-appears to have been one of the main........

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