Two Ukrenergo advisors resign amid allegations of political pressure
Source: Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Ukrenergo
Ukrenergo senior advisors Daniel Dobbeni and Peder Andreasen said they are resigning from them positions in protest to the dismissal of the company’s CEO Volodymyr Kurdrytskyi, which they described as a “politically motivated decision”.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, Dobbeni and Andreasen condemned the decision to remove Kudrytskyi claiming it had no ‘valid grounds’ and was driven by political interference rather than any failure in management. “We felt political pressure and observed constant attempts to bypass the competition to appoint people whose professional qualities were doubtful to the Management Board of the Company,” said the resigning advisors in their joint statement.
Dobbeni and Andreasen joined the board in December 2021 and were instrumental in guiding the Ukrenergo through the process of disconnecting from Russian and Belarusian power grids and integrating into the European network.
According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the fallout following their resignations can harm the company’s international partnerships, particularly with major creditors and donors like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who have previously cautioned against such destabilizing actions.
Zheleznyak wrote, “This marks the collapse of the entire Supervisory Board, which must have a majority of independent members. The move jeopardizes corporate governance standards and could strain relations with all donors”.
The situation unraveled after Ukrenergo Supervisory Board dismissed Kudrytskyi on September 2. The vote saw three state-appointed members and one independent member voting in favor of his removal, while Dobbeni and Andersen opposed the decision. Kudrytskyi will remain in his position until September 4 whne inte board member Oleksiy Brecht step in as an interim CEO.
“This decision completes the construction of a corrupt pyramid within Ukrenergo, but the reaction from international partners will be swift and painful,” Zheleznyak warned.
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