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Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court on November 18 ordered former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov held in custody until January 16, with the option of release on bail of 51 million hryvnias (about $1.3 million), in a sweeping energy corruption probe known as “Operation Midas,” Slidstvo.Info reported from the courtroom.
The ruling came after two days of hearings on prosecutors’ request for a preventive measure. Serhii Savytskyi of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office had asked judges to place Chernyshov in pretrial detention with bail set at 55 million hryvnias—an amount he said roughly matches what investigators believe the former official unlawfully received between February 11 and May 9, 2025, and failed to declare.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said its 15-month Operation Midas investigation exposed a network of “shadow managers” who infiltrated state nuclear operator Energoatom, forced contractors to pay 10–15 percent kickbacks to clear an internal “barrier,” and laundered an estimated $100 million in illicit proceeds.
In Chernyshov’s case, prosecutors say he helped members of the alleged criminal organization legalize more than $1.2 million and over 36,000 euros ($41,663). They argue he is the person referred to as “Che Guevara” on NABU’s covert recordings, where suspects are heard discussing cash deliveries. Chernyshov dismissed that claim in court, calling the suspicion “unfounded and empty” and based only on “conversations of some people among themselves who mention others,” according to Slidstvo.Info.
“My surname is Chernyshov, and I do not suffer from split personality or internal dissonance,” he said, insisting he has no ties to any criminal organization and believes he is being prosecuted mainly because he is a public figure.
The investigation alleged Chernyshov visited a Kyiv “laundromat” used to legalize illicit funds. On February 11, businessman Oleksandr Zuckerman—described as a co-organizer of Energoatom-related schemes—allegedly instructed back-office employee Lesia Ustymenko to hand “Che Guevara” $300,000, complaining on tape that he did not want to give him “nice” banknotes. Prosecutors say Chernyshov later received $200,000 and 96,500 euros ($111,667) there, and that his wife, Svitlana—allegedly using the pseudonym “Professor”—collected another $500,000 on May 9 at a Kyiv clinic founded by Zuckerman’s wife.
The defense disputes the evidence, arguing that a key recording about the $500,000 transfer does not appear on Chernyshov’s phone examined by detectives and that “Che Guevara” refers to a project, not a person. Attorneys have requested access to his device and to call records from Vodafone Ukraine.
After Tuesday’s ruling, Chernyshov called the decision “absurd,” saying prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to justify such severe restrictions. He said he remains in Ukraine and wants a swift trial “so that the truth prevails,” but added he cannot currently post bail because his accounts are frozen.
