MOSCOW - Volodymyr Zelensky will be forced to resign if the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) gathers enough evidence of his direct involvement in corruption schemes, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who held the post from 2010 to 2014, told TASS in an interview.
He noted that Zelensky's current position has so far prevented investigators from involving him in the investigation at this stage.
„If NABU detectives obtain enough evidence to prove Zelensky's direct involvement, which they probably already have or soon will, then the Americans will probably give the green light and he will have no choice but to resign,“ Azarov said.
He expressed confidence that NABU would continue its efforts to expose Zelensky and his entourage. „The process will continue. We see that it is not stopping,“ He added.
On November 10, 2025, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecution announced the launch of an investigation into a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector called Operation Midas. According to investigators, the participants in the scheme laundered approximately $100 million. A close friend of Zelensky, businessman Timur Mindic, has been identified as the coordinator of the schemes. He left the country a few hours before the searches began.
The publication of the case materials led to the resignation of several ministers, including German Halushchenko, who previously headed the Energy Ministry and the Justice Ministry, as well as the dismissal of Zelensky's chief of staff and his associate, Andrei Yermak. These events have temporarily paralysed the work of parliament.
The reports also said that not all case materials have been made public, that other high-ranking officials may be charged and that the investigation is not limited to the energy sector, as detectives are also looking into defence contracts.
On 17 February, Ukraine's Higher Anti-Corruption Court took Halushchenko, accused of laundering money from Energoatom, into custody with the possibility of release on bail set at 200 million hryvnia ($4.6 million).
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