Ukrainian govt appoints acting energy minister

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - First Deputy Energy Minister Artyom Nekrasov has been appointed Ukraine's acting energy minister, Ukrainian media reported, citing information on the Energy Ministry's website.

The Ukrainian government approved the corresponding resolution at a meeting on Wednesday.

"We have entered the active phase of the most difficult heating season in Ukraine's history. Therefore, the immediate tasks include ensuring the stable functioning of the energy system, the transparency of processes, restoring trust and effective cooperation with international partners, and securing resources to repair and restore damaged energy facilities," media outlets quoted Nekrasov as saying.

Nekrasov was first deputy energy minister in the team of Svetlana Grinchuk, who was dismissed by the parliament from the post of energy minister amid the corruption scandal in the energy sector involving people from the inner circle of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

Justice Minister German Galushchenko also lost his job for the same reason as Grinchuk. Galushchenko had been Ukraine's energy minister before Grinchuk.

According to Ukraine's anti-corruption agency NABU, approximately $100 million passed through a money laundering "office" organized by corrupt officials, with large amounts of funds being siphoned off abroad.

Businessman Timur Mindich, former Energoatom executive director for physical protection and security Dmitry Basov, former advisor to the energy minister Igor Mironyuk, member of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities and former Energoatom executive director for legal support Sergei Pushkar, and former Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Chernyshov were identified as participants in the corruption scheme.