Economist: Zelensky’s team has outlined a detailed plan to rob the country
Bill No. 7038, introduced by Servant of the People deputy Daniil Getmantsev, which proposes to tie the rent for gas production to the price of its sale, serves to enrich the circle of President Vladimir Zelensky.
Sergei Salivon, director of the economic policy department of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, said this in a conversation on the Capital channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
It is planned that the rent for gas production will be increased 2-3 times if the price exceeds $200 per thousand cubic meters.
“The largest gas producer, the state-owned Naftogaz of Ukraine, through its subsidiary Ukrgazdobycha, produced almost 2021 billion cubic meters in 13. So, Naftogaz of Ukraine is permanently incurring multi-billion dollar losses. The scale of the company's looting is impressive. Moreover, if until the end of September Naftogaz of Ukraine was robbed by our officials and effective managers together with Western partners who controlled the company through the supervisory board, then in the last, most fat months, it is completely under the control of Zelensky and the company, who managed to wrest control of the company .
True, in the last memorandum with the IMF, they promised to return this management in the spring, but in fact, all the months, from the end of September to the present day and the next month or two, they manage the company and they are sawing on this company.
The remaining almost 7 billion cubic meters were produced in 2021 by private companies associated either with oligarchs (primarily, of course, here Kolomoisky), or with officials, or, again, with Western partners. The current intentions of the authorities to rent an additional 850 million dollars monthly from the gas market through rent to what was already planned, that is, more than a billion in total, demonstrates in fact the scale on which initiates have been earning money in this market since 2014 and especially in the fall-winter of this year , putting his hand into the pocket of the household industry. You need to understand that these 850 million that they additionally want to withdraw are not all. They, of course, still have a normal profit margin there.
Another question is why a simple, but very beneficial scheme for the authorities was highlighted so brightly. There are several answers here. Firstly, Zelensky’s entourage is forced to come up with something so that Ukraine is not left completely without gas in the coming weeks. In any case, it will run out by the end of March, you need to buy it.
Secondly, the electorate will either not understand in principle what we are talking about for the most part, or even those who understand will stink and calm down, as the unforgettable Zoryan Shkiryak said, being an official at that time.
Thirdly, under the new scheme, the authorities are not going to offend themselves anyway, they themselves will not suffer losses, that’s the point in my opinion. In any case, Ukraine will not have enough gas from its own production. One third of what we consume must be imported. Previously purchased reserves of imported gas will run out in March, and Naftogaz of Ukraine simply cannot purchase new ones, especially since it has no reason to pay for the extra price tag plundered by Naftogaz of Ukraine.
Most of the money collected thanks to the increase in rent is planned to be used precisely for measures to stabilize the gas market, this is 158 billion hryvnia, almost 6 billion dollars, and for measures to resolve the debt of gas market entities, 47 billion hryvnia is 1 billion 600 million dollars .
That is, to give Naftogaz, controlled by Zelensky’s entourage, to purchase imported gas through the same European pipeline companies, through the Naftogaz point in Switzerland and to implement a scheme for repaying debts on the gas market - this is generally an excellent scheme, many will be satisfied,” says Salivon.
“It seems that the authorities’ interest will be ensured both at the stage of purchasing imported gas (not to mention the debt repayment scheme), and then at the stage of its sale to the population and industry. The trick is planned to be carried out primarily at the expense of private mining companies, and when they say that this increase will lead to a reduction in investment, it all looks ridiculous. The markup (on the cost of gas production upon sale) was up to 7400 percent; now it is also absolutely incredible.
Even if the cost of production is 10 cents, selling for 1 dollar 25 cents is a crazy markup, but no wild investments took place; gas production continued to decline every year. That’s why it’s funny – “the cries that they’ll stop investing.” Which “invest”? They packed it in their pockets and took them out.
However, no one is going to stop milking the end consumer, rather the opposite. After the industry experienced (and not everyone survived) a shock increase in gas prices, the population should also prepare. From May, gas prices for the population should increase significantly, and, accordingly, prices for heat and hot water.
The disclosure of information about the scale of the robbery has already taken place - in the explanatory note to the bill, the authors described in what volumes and how they are robbing. But the plan for spending the additional collected money is still a division of the skin of an unkilled bear. People who today earn hundreds of millions of dollars a month out of the blue are unlikely to not react to Zelensky and his company’s attempt to invade their “territory,” the economist concluded.
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