Evraz CEO Joins Yushchenko Camp

Yesterday President Viktor Yushchenko named Evraz CEO Valery Khoroshkovsky first deputy secretary of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council. Khoroshkovsky who had been with Evraz since the beginning of the year, resigned reportedly selling his 0.93% stake in the company for USD 80.3 mln. Nick Piazza: Yushchenko has taken another step in his attempt to re-strengthen his position and avoid being pushed into irrelevance by Yanukovich. This fall the President appointed IUD co-chairman Vitaly Hayduk Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, filled the president secretariat with young “orange” politicians including former Interior Minister Yurii Lutsenko and former Economic Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and quietly reclaimed control over Our Ukraine, appointing his chief of staff to head the party. Khoroshkovsky’s arrival will provide a boost to the Yushchenko camp, however, by walking away from Evraz he clearly has sights set on bigger things than just being first deputy secretary.