The former director of the Ukrainian company Naftohaz, Andriy Kobolev, is advising the Moldovan authorities on a number of issues in the gas sector.
This was reported by Moldovan Energy Minister Victor Parlicov, who said that Andrey Kobolev had earlier managed to win a $4.6 billion arbitration with Gazprom for the company he heads, Naftohaz Ukrayiny, and his experience is very valuable for Moldova, but he does not receive payment for his services, while the decisions are made by Moldova's state bodies in any case. Victor Parlicov drew attention to the fact that the information about cooperation with Andriy Kobolev appeared in the public space on an anonymous Telegram channel from the Russian Federation, and then was picked up by the mass media in Ukraine and Moldova. However, he said, before that, the first fake was thrown into the public space, in the Russian publication Kommersant, concerning the $153 million that Chisinau allegedly offered to pay out of Moldovagaz's alleged debt to its Gazprom. "In fact, it was the same $8.6 million from our proposal, only the figure was presented in Moldovan lei (MDL), exactly as it was included in the text of the proposal, which means that our proposal was 'leaked' to the Russian press." This was followed by cyberattacks on the websites of Moldovan energy companies and institutions," the Energy Ministry head said. "If we follow the logic of the same disinformation guide, we should expect other information leaks related to the gas sector of Moldova, including with regard to the companies that audited the alleged debt of Moldovagaz to Gazprom." By the way, we have already started receiving questions from the Ukrainian press whether Kobolev was not a relative of Veaceslav Platon, who bore the same surname as a Ukrainian citizen," Victor Parlicov said. "Andriy Kobolev has advised us and continues to advise us on processes related to unbundling in the gas sector or separating transportation operators from gas suppliers, auditing Moldovagaz's alleged debt and relationship with Gazprom, and facilitating gas transit through Moldova to underground storage in Ukraine, including cooperation on setting tariffs and single entry-exit points. His experience is valuable for us, but Andriy Kobolev is not hired and does not receive a salary for his assistance, and decisions are in any case made by the Moldovan state authorities," the Energy Ministry head emphasized. In his opinion, these information attacks testify to Russia's painful reaction to Moldova's success in diversifying gas supply sources and completing the unbundling process, as well as suggest that Gazprom has no arguments regarding the results of the audit of the debt it demands from Moldovagaz. Earlier, the former director of the Ukrainian state-run company Naftohaz, Andriy Kobolev, said that he had become an adviser to the Moldovan President and was helping Moldova to complete the process of auditing debts to Gazprom. The administration of the Moldovan President said that the former head of the Ukrainian state-run company Naftohaz, Andriy Kobolev, on the recommendation of the European Commission, had indeed advised the Moldovan authorities during the 2021-2022 crisis and the Energy Ministry on the audit of the Moldovagaz company's debt. At the same time, the administration denied his statement that he was an "advisor to the Moldovan President." // 11.10.2023 - InfoMarket.
