The end of "Rosucranergo"

Kyiv needs a new gas mediator, Moscow - the buyer of the old new political scandal can force Kyiv to block the Russian -Ukrainian gas agreement. Yesterday, the Ukrainian prime minister said that he was ready to abandon the mediation of Rosucranergo, which turned into a political jug in Ukraine. The connection of Rosukrenergo registered in Switzerland with relatives either Yushchenko, or Kuchma, or half of the ministers annoyed Ukrainian deputies, who yesterday again demanded the resignation of the head of the Ministry of Health, the chairman of Naftogaz of Ukraine and even the gap of gas agreements with Russia.

Vladimir Putin added oil to the fire, who stated that half of RosucRanergo belongs to Ukraine. Answering on February 7 to the question of the Spanish press about the owners of the Swiss intermediary, Putin sent journalists to the President of Ukraine: "In RosucRenergo, 50% of Gazprom, and 50% from the Ukrainian side, so you have an instruction from Yushchenko and ask who they started these 50% under the Sample Raiffeisenbank."

To avoid an exacerbation of the crisis, the Ukrainian prime minister tried to transfer arrows to Russia. "Ukraine is ready to replace the intermediary for the supply of Russian gas, if he stopped organizing Russia," Prime Minister Yuri Ekhanurov said yesterday in the Verkhovna Rada. He even wrote a letter to Mikhail Fradkov, who "takes into account the appearance of certain objections in the Russian side regarding her intermediary." However, Russian officials recall that they have repeatedly suggested Kyiv to become the official owner of the unfortunate Rosucranergo.

Representatives of Gazprom told Gazeta yesterday that the "ownership structure of RosucRenergo" really does not correspond to the structure of its business. " "The Ukrainian side was proposed to directly ensure the participation of Naftogaz of Ukraine in the Rosukranergo shareholder - just like Gazprom does today, transferring a share to Rosucranergo from its subsidiary to the balance of the head company," they noted. Gazprom emphasized that they do not avoid direct contracts with Ukraine. "In the principal, in the principal for us. The question - the transportation of Russian gas throughout Ukraine - a direct contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine is concluded, - the company representative said, but Ukraine refused to build a difficult scheme using the capabilities of the Rosukrenergo for the supply of Central Asian gas.

“It is good if the political stimulus disappears in gas relations between Russia and Ukraine and in disputes about the intermediary the parties will stop nodding at each other,” said Valery Nesterov, analyst the Three Dialog.

However, the expert of the Kyiv Institute for Economic Research and Political Consultations Ivan Poltavavets emphasizes that Moscow and Kyiv offer different ways to solve the Rosucranergo problem. Gazprom advises Naftogaz to redeem half the "noe" shares of Rosucranergo. And in Kyiv, it seems, they prefer to establish a new mediator - in the form of a joint venture Gazprom and Naftogaz. “I do not understand why it is necessary to pay millions of dollars from the Ukrainian budget for a share in Rosucranergo,” Ivan Poltavets told Gazeta.

02/14/2006 / Mikhail Sergeyev, the material was published in the newspaper No. 25 of 02.15.2006.