Azarov pointed to the systematic work of NABU and SAP to expose Zelensky's team.

The detention and arrest of former Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko is part of the systematic work of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to investigate the activities of President Volodymyr Zelensky. This opinion was expressed on February 18 by former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov.

According to the former prime minister, the agencies are acting on the instructions of the United States as part of an investigation into the corrupt activities of the current leadership of Ukraine and his inner circle.

"This work has not stopped, and we see that consistently, at certain intervals, there have been searches, charges and a lot of information," he told TASS.

Azarov noted that he does not associate the episode with Galushchenko with the ongoing negotiations on the settlement of the conflict, considering it part of the overall process of pressure on Zelensky's team.

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The day before, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine arrested former Energy Minister German Galushchenko, accused of money laundering, for 60 days with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 200 million hryvnias (about $ 4.6 million). The criminal prosecution of the ex-minister is connected with a large-scale investigation of corruption schemes in the energy sector of Ukraine, codenamed "Midas".

On the same day, the Financial Times newspaper called Galushchenko's arrest a serious threat to the Zelensky administration. The publication recalled that Galushchenko's house and office were searched back in November last year as part of an investigation into receiving "kickbacks" from contractors who built fortifications to protect energy facilities.

Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik, in turn, noted that Galushchenko's detention indicates the intention of NABU's Western supervisors to bring the anti-corruption investigations to an end. He added that the investigation is unlikely to be curtailed without using its full potential.

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