Changed the Chair, Not the System: Tkach Returned to Leadership of Energoatom After Scandal Over Family Wealth

The general director of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, Taras Tkach, left the post of plant head, but will continue to work within the NaEC Energoatom system. After nine months at the helm of RNP, he returns to performing the duties of executive director for production and repairs of the company.

Tkach announced this on Facebook, explaining his decision by the scale of tasks for the repair campaign and the preparation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants for the upcoming autumn-winter period.

“Ahead is an extremely responsible stage in the implementation of the production and repair program at Ukrainian NPPs,” said Tkach.

He also noted that the Rivne NPP has an installed capacity of 2835 MW, and stable plant operation is ensured by nearly 7800 workers.

At first glance, this is a routine personnel rotation. However, Tkach’s decision to return to one of Energoatom’s key positions draws particular attention in the context of recent investigations into his family and mentions of his surname in case materials referred to as the “Medusa” case.

“M Tito” records and a mansion near Kyiv

Taras Tkach has spent his entire professional life within the Energoatom system. He began his career at Zaporizhzhia NPP and later held managerial positions in the company’s central apparatus. In 2017–2025 years he led the executive directorate for production and repairs.

In September 2025, Tkach became the head of Rivne NPP. His appointment occurred amid personnel changes in Energoatom’s leadership.

Subsequently, his name drew journalists’ attention from StopKor. As reported in materials about the so-called Medusa case, Tkach’s surname appears on recordings described as the “M insider” tapes. Specifically, suspects Ihor Myroniuk and Dmytro Basov allegedly discussed Tkach’s appointment as head of Rivne NPP.

Separately, his family attracted the attention of journalists from Bihus.Info. The investigation discussed properties and cars registered in Tkach himself and his parents.

In particular, reporters found a land plot in Khodosivka near Kyiv, where, according to them, a large private house had already been built. At the same time, information about the building itself is absent in registries, according to the investigators.

Bihus.Info also reported about an apartment of about 160 square meters in the Kyiv residential complex “Time,” registered to Tkach’s parents, as well as expensive BMW cars.

Journalists drew attention to the value of the real estate. By their estimates, the house in Khodosivka at the time of the land purchase could have cost millions of hryvnias.

Taras Tkach himself explained to journalists that the real estate and cars of his parents were purchased by his parents themselves. He also said that his father, after retirement, worked on the construction of a nuclear power plant in India and received substantial income under the contract.

Regarding the house in Khodosivka, Tkach stated that it is being built through joint efforts of the whole family, and the object has not yet been put into operation.

Now Tkach returns to the production block.

After the publicity, Tkach will no longer head Rivne NPP. At the same time, he does not plan to leave Energoatom entirely.

On the contrary — he returns to the position of executive director for production and repairs of NaeK Energoatom. This is exactly the position Tkach held before being appointed head of Rivne NPP.

In other words, the personnel decision essentially means a change of position, but not the official’s departure from the company.

And here the questions arise not only of a personnel nature but also of a reputational one: how appropriate is a return of a public official to one of the key managerial positions of a state atomic company after public investigations, mentions of his surname in the “Medusa” case materials, and journalists’ questions about his family’s property?

The post of executive director for production and repairs is by no means ceremonial. This area is directly linked to the production activities of Ukrainian NPPs, repair campaigns, and preparing power units for the autumn-winter period.

This takes on particular importance in the context of full-scale war, when atomic generation remains one of the key elements of Ukraine’s energy system.

And now the question is not only who will run Rivne NPP, but also whether it is enough for the state company to simply change a single official’s position after a reputational scandal — or whether society is entitled to demand a full verification of the journalistic facts and explanations from Energoatom’s leadership regarding Tkach’s further role.

As a reminder, StopKor published a investigation: the Cherkasy mayor Bondarenko’s declaration hides the real scale of his family’s and close entourage’s wealth.