'Clearing up the mess' — Ukraine's oil and gas giant gets new supervisory board
After more than a month-long delay, Ukraine’s government on March 2 appointed a new supervisory board for state-owned oil and gas giant Naftogaz, replacing a controversial ex-official recently charged with embezzling millions of dollars.
The new independent board members hail from Poland, Denmark, Canada, and Norway and bring decades of experience in the energy industry. Now, Robert Slesinski, Erik Rasmussen, Duncan Nightingale, and Tor Martin Anfinnsen will observe the management of the multi-billion-dollar company.
Deputy Economy Minister Anna Artemenko was appointed as the new state representative on the board, replacing Rostyslav Shurma, a former aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was fired in December.
The board appears "decent," Tetiana Shevchuk, a lawyer with the Anti-Corruption Action Center watchdog, told the Kyiv Independent.
"It’s a small step toward clearing up the mess in the energy sector. A stable supervisory board guarantees foreign creditors that the company is functioning and that people with good reputations are managing it," Shevchuk added.
However, she noted that the appointment of Artemenko and the reelection of State Secretary Konstantin Maryevich — both government officials — does not signal a full willingness to grant the board total independence.
The new board comes amid a renewed push to reform Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises, which dominate the energy, banking, and infrastructure sectors. The previous board's tenures expired in January.
After the country’s worst wartime corruption scandal unfolded at state-run nuclear firm Energoatom in November 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a reboot of supervisory boards across the energy and defense sectors in a bid to contain the fallout and restore partners’ trust.
State-run companies have long been battlegrounds for control over their vast resources. Reformers and international partners have pushed for independent supervisory boards to reduce corruption risks — a system introduced after the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution to clean up shady state enterprises.
Naftogaz, once widely criticized for dodgy business practices, has built a more reliable reputation in recent years. It steered the country through its worst-ever winter under Russian bombardment, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in financing for emergency gas supplies from major foreign banks.
Still, Shurma’s role on the supervisory board raised eyebrows. He was widely viewed as corrupt even before being charged in January 2026 with embezzling Hr 141.3 million ($3.28 million).
He is believed to be living in Germany after losing his post as deputy head of the president’s office in September 2024. From abroad, he continued participating in board meetings until he was dismissed in December 2025 – a month before his three-year contract expired.
"Shurma should have left long ago. It’s strange that they kept him so long," Shevchuk said.
"I think it was just inertia. Because if you dismiss him, you have to admit that his appointment was a mistake."
