DTEK veteran appointed to advise PM Shmyhal, report says

Ihor Maslov, a longtime executive at DTEK Energy controlled
by Rinat Akhmetov, has been appointed a non-staff adviser on energy issues to
Prime Minister Denys Shymhal, reported on Apr. 4 the Skhemy television news
program, citing anonymous sources in the Energy Ministry and DTEK. He
participated in a meeting in that capacity to discuss the situation on the
electricity market on Apr. 3, the sources confirmed. DTEK didn’t confirm the
information, noting that Maslov was no longer employed as of February 2019.
Maslov served as head of the office of strategic projects at DTEK Energy
(DTEKUA) in 2017-2019, while having served on the supervisory boards of DTEK
Donetskoblenergo, DTEK PEM Energovuhillia and Kyivenergo.

Yanina Sokolova, a leading television news journalist,
was informed on Apr. 3 that her investigative program, “Have You No Shame?,”
was frozen by her network, Ukrayina 24 controlled by Rinat Akhmetov, the
morning after it broadcast more accusations of crime against Denys Yermak. The
stated reason for the freeze – until the fall – was the coronavirus outbreak,
she said on her Facebook page. “My principles are unchanged. There’s no sense
of working in the profession when you’re serving someone’s interests.
Journalists are the monitors of government. Catalyzers of change in the
country,” she wrote on her Facebook page, rejecting the credibility of the
official explanation. She said she will continue to broadcast her investigative
reports on a YouTube channel.

Recall, MP Geo Leros has accused Denys Yermak,
the brother of President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak, of taking bribes in
exchange for government posts, among other crimes, having released dozens of
hours of video recordings to investigative journalists. He was interviewed for
Sokolova’s broadcast on Apr. 2. He has declined to mention the source of the
recordings, only saying he received on a memory card. Denys Yermak said the
recordings were edited to have statements taken out of context. Andriy Yermak
denied involvement in crimes, stressing none of those people recorded gained
the government posts allegedly for sale.

Zenon Zawada: We can’t
help but notice the rising influence of Rinat Akhmetov and waning influence of
Ihor Kolomoisky with the arrival of PM Shmyhal, who spent several years working
at two companies controlled by Akhmetov. Besides Maslov, Shmyhal reportedly
sought the appointment of Olha Buslavets – a veteran energy ministry official
with ties to Akhmetov – as energy minister, which Zelensky withdrew from parliamentary review
on Mar. 30 because of a reported lack of votes. Also considered as energy
minister was Ivan Plachkov, a Kyivenergo executive.

We shared the widely held view that President Zelensky
has remained loyal to Kolomoisky since his decision to discuss PM Oleksiy
Honcharuk had reportedly been triggered by the latter’s moves opposing
Kolomoisky retaining control of the Centrenergo power producer. Yet Honcharuk
insisted in an interview published on Apr. 4 that the conflict over Centrenergo
was one out of many. “I would not limit this decision to one company,” he said
of his dismissal. “There were many such companies. Each of these decisions
affected many groups of influence.”

Casting further doubt on his loyalty to Kolomoisky,
Zelensky chose the national interest when leading parliament on Mar. 30 to
approve two key bills necessary for the next IMF tranche. We believe Zelensky
has adopted a policy of forming short-term political alliances, and choosing to
use them or burn them whenever it’s convenient for him. Having Akhmetov to rely
on when – Kolomoisky becomes a burden – is a valuable option in this strategy.
That’s especially the case when Akhmetov has a vast mass media conglomerate that’s
just as influential as Kolomoisky’s media holdings.