Skip to content

News Feed

7:27 AM
Russian forces launched another drone attack targeting Ukraine's southern oblasts overnight on Oct. 1. Ukraine's air defense downed at least 15 drones over Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson of Ukraine's Southern Operational Command, said on air.
6:50 AM
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law averting a government shutdown that was set for midnight, according to the White House. Biden said that although the bill does not include financial assistance for Ukraine, he expects Speaker Kevin McCarthy "will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment."
5:49 AM
Following a passage of a bill to avoid a government shutdown, top U.S. Senate leaders issued a rare bipartisan statement affirming their commitment to Ukraine. They expect the Senate will work "to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine."
4:36 AM
At least four explosions were heard in Kharkiv, city Mayor Ihor Terekhov said via his official Telegram channel in the early hours of Oct. 1. Two explosions were also reported in the city of Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, according to regional authorities.
Ukraine Daily
News from
Ukraine in your
inbox
5:50 PM
"Odesa is a beautiful historic city. It should be in the headlines for its vibrant culture (and) spirit," Borrell wrote on Twitter. "Instead, it marks the news as a frequent target of Putin's war."
5:15 PM
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, he and Slovak Defense Minister Martin Sklenar discussed cooperation with Slovakia regarding the Ukrainian military's needs, the situation at the front line, and de-mining.
12:25 PM
Among other capabilities, the alliance will eventually pave the way for Ukraine to localize production of licensed foreign weapons on Ukrainian soil, said Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office. During his recent visit to Washington, Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to have their teams hammer out a roadmap for this kind of localization.
11:21 AM
The ministry reported that, as Russia was attacking Ukraine's ports on the Danube river, air alert sirens were activated in the nearby Romanian cities of Tulcea and Galati as radar systems detected an unsanctioned object heading towards the latter in Romania's airspace.
MORE NEWS

watch us on facebook

Edit post

Authorities search ex-head of Naftogaz Kobolyev’s home over contentious debt settlement

by Alexander Query February 1, 2022 8:51 PM 2 min read
The State Investigation Bureau searched on Feb. 1 the house of Andriy Kobolyev, former head of state-owned gas operator Naftogaz. (Naftogaz press service)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The State Investigation Bureau searched the house of Andriy Kobolyev, former head of the state-owned oil and gas monopolist Naftogaz, on Feb. 1.

According to the Bureau, the searches were part of a case set to investigate the legality of an agreement signed by Kobolyev in 2020 to transfer 305 million cubic meters of gas from state ownership to private companies.

Kobolyev, who was sacked from Naftogaz in April 2021 for closing the previous year with $684 million in losses, said on Facebook that he acted in the interests of the state-owned company.

"In the process of resolving the problem that arose more than 20 years ago, the teams of Naftogaz and Ukrtransgaz were guided by the interests of these companies and were able to prevent illegal write-offs of about Hr 2 billion ($70 million),” he wrote.

The office of Naftogaz's subsidiary Ukrtransgaz and private companies involved in a decade-long legal hurdle were also searched by authorities.

The dispute began in 1999, when Ukrenergozbut, a relatively small private gas distribution company, transferred 418 million cubic meters of gas to Ukrtransgaz, the national gas transmission system operator, to be redistributed to the company's consumers.

However, Ukrtransgaz failed to redistribute most of it and kept 305 million cubic meters in its network, for which Ukrenergozbut fought since then through legal means.

In 2019, the debt was bought by Fin-Invest, a company reportedly linked to businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago, charged with embezzlement. Soon, a court ordered Uktransgaz to pay the debt to Fin-Invest.

Zhevago for alleged embezzlement of $113 million through Finance and Credit, a bank he used to own, and through which he bought Ukrenergozbut’s debt. Since then, the oligarch has been on the run.

In mid-2020, Ukrtransgaz’s debts passed to Profi-Gas, a company linked to Ukrainian businessman Igor Voronov, who also owns Ukraine-based insurance company Uniqa.

In late 2020, Ukrtransgaz asked Naftogaz to reach an amicable agreement to settle the conflict, which led to Profi-Gas receiving gas worth $77 million (Hr 2.2 billion), the amount of the contentious debt.

However, in late 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that Profi-Gas illegally bought the company's debt.

Now, Ukrtransgaz is demanding that Naftogaz pays for the damages caused by the transfer of 305 million cubic meters of natural gas to Profi-Gas.

The Investigation Bureau argued that Kobolyev signed the transfer without the consent of the Naftogaz supervisory board which deprived the state of the $77 million.

Kobolyev alleged that the investigation was an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate him.

“There is no point in scaring me or sending me threats,” he said.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe

Please, enter correct email address

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.