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The firing earlier this month of the chief executive of the national power transmission network, Ukrenergo, has become a focal point for Western fears that a political power grab is underway in Ukraine, Politico reported.
Chief Executive Volodymyr Kudrytskyi was officially fired for failing to adequately protect Ukrenergo facilities from Russian attacks, but his dismissal sparked complaints from many Western institutions and the resignations of Ukrenergo board members Daniel Dobbeni and Peder Andreasen, who said they believed the dismissal was political.
In an interview with Politico, Kudrytskyi agreed with them, adding that "it is all about centralizing power."
He also warned that the power grab could result in dire consequences for Ukrenergo and its customers, the Ukrainian people.
“I can tell you that if we were not operating independently these past two years and more, I can guarantee we would not have got through the hardest winters any power system operator has ever experienced,” he said.
Now, international observers fear Kyiv is slowly eroding the separation of powers vital to a functioning democracy, Politico reports. "The big danger, fear experts, is that lucrative contracts and projects could be doled out thanks to political loyalties."
Mykhailo Gonchar, an energy specialist with the Kyiv-based Center for Global Studies, said Kudrytskyi's dismissal is part of a pattern.
“The past few years we have [seen] energy bosses dismissed, including the chief of our nuclear energy generation company, who was highly professional,” he said. “And we have seen the same thing happening with gas companies.”
