Tense situation in Ukraine: Naftogaz directors accused of stealing gas

Some dozens of armed, masked people occupied the office of Igor Davidenko, President of Naftogaz Ukraine, the company’s spokesperson Valentin Zemlianski said on Wednesday. He added that the neither the identity nor the group the men pertain to were known, Ria Novosti reads. No violent acts were reported so far.

Naftogaz is Gazprom’s official partner in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Security Council deputy chief Valeri Horoskovski declared that the circumstances of the penal investigation reveal the possibility that high officials in Naftogaz with the complicity of the government might have stolen some 6.3 billion cubic meters of transit gas.

Political context

Pro-Western President Viktor Yuschenko’s relation with PM Iulia Timoschenko is tense especially after the Prime Minister aligned towards Russia. The two political leaders use their political influence to discredit each other.