Opposition initiates the resignation of the Government: political PR or a real threat to the Cabinet
11 November 2025 13:23
ANALYSIS 
Following high-profile searches by the NABU in the case of large-scale corruption in the energy sector, the opposition started talking about the need to change the government. MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak submitted resolutions to the Verkhovna Rada to dismiss Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, accusing them of having links to the persons involved in the Energoatom schemes and of failing to prepare for the winter period. At the same time, the European Solidarity party issued a statement demanding the complete resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers and the formation of a “government of national salvation.”
EU party launches procedure to dismiss the government after searches in Mindich’s office
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak has submitted resolutions to the Verkhovna Rada to dismiss Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk.
The European Solidarity party released a statement regarding the searches conducted by NABU detectives at the home of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s longtime partner, businessman Tymur Mindich.
“After the NABU searches of Zelenskyy’s partner Tymur Mindich, the country finally saw what the expression “money on blood” means. When millions of Ukrainians were sitting without electricity during shelling, when the best were dying at the front every day, another “battery” was working in the rear – the one that charged the pockets of the elected. One hundred million dollars that could have gone to protect the energy infrastructure ended up in Energoatom’s schemes. We also realized what the slogan “let’s do it together” really meant. And we did – the whole country. Yes, it is Russia that is hitting our energy sector, but corruption has left people in the dark, the army without resources, and the state without shame,” the statement reads.
The statement emphasizes that Mindich’s involvement in the case jeopardizes the trust of Ukraine’s international partners.
“Timur Mindich is not just a co-owner of Kvartal 95. This is a person who has influence over the only telethon, controlled cash flows from Centrenergo to the State Property Fund, was involved in the diamond business in Russia, and even “built” fortifications through his contractor Pronin. Of course, she was only building schemes. That is, she stole from it through her contractor Pronin. That’s why in Ukraine today, the “Cabinet” has essentially turned into “Kabmindich.” Ukraine has never seen so many streams in one hand. And we have a question: how did it happen that Mindic was able to leave the country safely when opposition MPs are not even allowed to attend international meetings where we ask our partners to help restore Ukraine’s energy system? How did Mindic leave Ukraine?” the EU notes.
“European Solidarity” demands a clear and effective response to today’s events, which entail high treason, from the President and calls for the resignation of the current Cabinet.
“We are starting the procedure of dismissal of the government, which is unprofessional and corrupt. Our goal is to restore the state’s governability, the unity of society and the trust of our partners. We call on all our parliamentary colleagues who are aware of the threats to the state to sign the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers in order to form a government of national salvation. The coalition of the Servants of the People and the Opposition Platform for Life with their curators from Moscow must finally disappear. This is the only chance to save the country,” the EU said.
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No suspects after searches at Energoatom
Despite loud statements and the publication of “tapes”, no official suspicions have been brought forward after the searches at Energoatom, political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said in a commentary to Kommersant
“Well, first of all, please note that there are no suspicions after the searches. There are tapes, there are loud statements. Well, the tapes are so separate, and, frankly, they don’t say much. But, nevertheless, the main thing is that legally there are no suspicions yet,” the expert noted.
He added that even in the legal sense, there is no progress in this case yet.
Political risks: a blow to the government’s reputation
Fesenko believes that the biggest risks of the current scandal are reputational, especially for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“As for the political consequences, there are certainly potential risks. For Zelensky, especially reputational risks,” the political scientist explained.
He adds that there are risks of some destabilization of the situation.
“There are risks of a certain destabilization of the situation, they also potentially exist, but only if, for example, the authorities begin to oppose the NABU, if this causes public protests, as it did in July, then there are more risks,” the political scientist believes.
Why Poroshenko’s initiative to dismiss the government will not work
The political analyst is skeptical about the opposition’s chances of implementing the European Solidarity initiative to dismiss the Cabinet.
“As for the opposition’s initiative. Poroshenko’s initiative to dismiss the government will have no consequences. I will explain why. To do this, you first need to collect 150 signatures. The opposition does not have this number,” Fesenko said.
The political analyst doubts that the initiative to dismiss the government will have sufficient support in parliament. According to him, even collecting the required number of signatures for the project may be difficult.
“If we take European Solidarity plus some of the Voice MPs, by the way, I think that not everyone will support this, because it is a risk of destabilization and the start of political games that could further destabilize the political situation, which is a serious risk in a time of war. Therefore, not everyone in Holos will definitely support it. Perhaps the Razumkov group will support it,” the expert notes.
In his opinion, even if the EU, part of the Voice and Razumkov’s group unite, the opposition will only be able to collect 50-70 signatures, which does not allow for a motion of no confidence in the government:
“They will collect 50 to 70 signatures. 150 – I have great doubts that there will be 150 signatures. And then, even if they succeed, which is still unlikely, they still need to collect more than 226 votes. That is, this will be possible only if at least half of the MPs, the majority of MPs from the Servants of the People plus their situational allies from the majoritarian parties, support the resignation of the government. This also looks unlikely for now.”
Realistic scenario: personnel changes in the government
Fesenko believes that it is more likely that some ministers will be dismissed on a case-by-case basis, in particular if the NABU files suspicions.
“What is likely? It is Zheleznyak’s initiative. Yesterday, Zheleznyak registered two draft resolutions on the dismissal of Halushchenko and Hrynchuk. The question of Hrynchuk is open, she appears indirectly on these tapes, but again, there is the question of suspicion. If there are suspicions, for example, of Halushchenko, then this is a reason, a legal reason, for him to resign voluntarily. I believe that this would be the best option for the government, for the presidential team, if he resigned himself,” the political scientist explained.
In case of official charges, the Cabinet of Ministers may temporarily suspend the official, and then the Verkhovna Rada will make the decision.
“That’s it, and there will be no problem. Either the Cabinet of Ministers suspends him, and then the Verkhovna Rada votes. If there is a suspicion. And if there is no suspicion against Galushchenko, then he can stay. So, this is how the situation can develop,” Fesenko summarized.
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What is known about corruption at Energoatom: details
on November 10, the NABU announced that it had uncovered a corruption scheme at Energoatom, which included current and former energy officials. The criminals received undue benefits from the company’s counterparties in the amount of 10-15% of the value of contracts, using the so-called “barrier” scheme to control payments and the status of suppliers.
The scheme involved a former deputy head of the State Property Fund, who became an advisor to the Minister of Energy, and a former law enforcement officer, who was the executive director of physical protection at Energoatom. Law enforcement officers found that the actual management of a strategic enterprise with an annual revenue of over UAH 200 billion was carried out by unauthorized persons without formal authority.
In addition, the NABU uncovered the “Legalization” scheme, in which a Kyiv office associated with the family of former Russian MP Andrii Derkach laundered money through a network of non-resident companies. About $100 million passed through this scheme, keeping “black books” and issuing cash outside of Ukraine.
According to MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, the members of the criminal organization identified so far include:
- former advisor to the Minister of Energy Ihor Myroniuk;
- dmytro Basov, Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security of Energoatom JSC;
- businessman and head of the criminal organization Timur Mindich;
- four people – employees of the money laundering back office.
In addition, Zheleznyak said that during the operation to expose corruption in the energy sector, NABU searched the home of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who was previously the Minister of Energy.
At the same time, NABU reported only on searches at Energoatom, without mentioning Mindich or Halushchenko.
For his part, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need for transparency at Energoatom and the inevitability of punishment for corruption schemes in the energy sector.
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