Buslavets, with alleged Akhmetov ties, appointed acting energy minister

Olha Buslavets, a veteran energy ministry official, was
appointed by the cabinet on Apr. 17 as acting minister of energy and
environmental protection, the pravda.com.ua news site reported, citing an
anonymous source in the cabinet. She has ties to PM Denys Shmyhal and
billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, the owner of DTEK Holdings, the pravda.com.ua news
site reported. “The urgent resolution of systemic problems in energy is an
issue of national security and I am conscious of the key role of the minister
position in this time. During the week, a list of measures will be formed that
the energy sector needs immediately. These measures will be aimed at technical,
fuel and economic balancing of the energy sector,” she said in a statement.

Zenon Zawada: This is the
latest in several appointments by President Zelensky, and his righthand man
Andriy Yermak, to offset the negative influence of billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky
by recruiting officials loyal to Rinat Akhmetov. Most recently, Ihor Maslov, a longtime executive at DTEK,
was tapped to serve as a non-staff energy adviser by PM Shmyhal on Apr. 4. This
is a wise strategy, especially considering Akhmetov’s mass media assets. Yet in
Ukrainian politics, all alliances are temporary and Kolomoisky could very well
be back in Zelensky’s graces in a year or two.