RUE and the NSDC

Ukrainska Pravda today publish portions of leaked briefing material and draft resolutions that are supposedly to be presented at tomorrow's National Security and Defence Council meeting. Having formally dealt with the current political crisis with the government, Yushchenko is seems, will now tackle economic politics, in particular its most painful aspect - shortcomings in energy security.

Yanukovych will now have to defend RosUkrEnergo from the president, who, it seems is relishing firm and forthright action more and more.

The 33 pages of material read "like a political thriller", according to UP. Particular attention is paid to Naftogaz and RUE, and to their off-spring UkrGazEnergo.

At the beginning of 2006, when RUE became monopolist supplier of Turkmen and Russian gas in Ukraine, Yushchenko claimed he did not know who its Ukrainian owners were, and even consulted Vladimir Putin on this matter.

UP claim most of the stuff was prepared when Vitaliy Hayduk was still secretary of the NSDC.

LEvko says this could be a big story..and there have been straws in the wind..

RUE's and other middlemen's skimming off of funds is obviously detrimental to Ukrainian consumers, and to large Financial Industrial Groups in particular - its time the parasites were made redundant. It remains to be seen what political capital will be gained by political rivals during the oncoming VR election campaign from this affair.