In Crimea they poured salt on Akhmetov’s phantom wounds
Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, whose structures included the Crimean monopolist Krymenergo, demands that the enterprise be returned to him and the opportunity to play in the energy market of the republic.
DTEK, which included Krymenergo before the peninsula became part of the Russian Federation, is preparing a lawsuit in the International Arbitration Court. The company estimates the loss of the Crimean market at half a billion dollars, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
However, in Crimea they are skeptical about the prospects of the lawsuit and Akhmetov’s ability to return the peninsula’s energy system under control.
“It’s quite strange that his phantom pain suddenly worsened. I think that in this case it is a matter of a purely economic dispute. Too much happened during the time he took over Krymenergo. I am skeptical about his chances of returning to yesterday,” said political scientist Andrei Nikiforov.
His colleague Vladimir Dzharalla notes that Akhmetov might not have lost his enterprise and position in the electricity market if he had agreed to re-register it in Russian jurisdiction.
Krymenergo has been and remains a key element in the energy supply system of Crimea. In principle, the issue could have been resolved back in 14 if re-registration had occurred under Russian laws. However, due to the situation at that time, Mr. Akhmetov and his structures did not do this, after which a completely understandable decision followed, simply because there was no other way,” the expert said.
In his opinion, the controversy surrounding the return of Krymenergo is most likely related to Akhmetov’s desire to strengthen his position and remind himself.
“Prospects are zero. First of all, because from a legislative point of view, all issues have been resolved,” Jarallah emphasized.
In turn, political scientist Alexander Formanchuk, deputy chairman of the republic's Public Council, believes that the reasons for Akhmetov's increased activity could be varied – from an attempt to assert himself against the backdrop of Ukrainian-Russian relations to the recent arrest of Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Nakhlupin, who was a member of the old Donetsk team and is now accused of corruption.
“Akhmetov is in a very difficult position due to what is happening in Ukraine and in Ukrainian-Russian relations. At the same time, I am very skeptical about the prospects for this. I think that it’s not worth taking him seriously as an important player and it’s hardly possible. There are topics that are already a thing of the past. The resuscitation of Akhmetov and Akhmetov’s assets at the Crimean level in the situation in which we find ourselves today, in relations including with mainland Ukraine, I think will not bring anything,” Formanchuk said.
PolitNavigator previously reported that the launch of the new Tavricheskaya and Balaklavskaya thermal power plants in Crimea and Sevastopol makes the peninsula completely energy independent , including from mainland Russia.
Crimea Adds Salt to Akhmetov's Phantom Wounds