Secretive gas importer feels heat of public spotlight

Four weeks after Ukraine cut a deal to import natural gas through RosUkrEnergo, a shell entity based in Switzerland, the obscure company is facing an uncomfortable amount of attention.

After becoming one of Europe’s largest energy traders this week with the Ukraine deal, the company promised changes to become more open about its operations.
Gazprom, the Russian gas giant, owns half of the company; its other owners have not been disclosed. The plush terms the company has received in the past from Gazprom are also a matter of much speculation.

RosUkrEnergo’s secretive nature has driven the parliaments of both Ukraine and Russia to open investigations. Meanwhile, Russian journalists have tried to untangle the skein of shell companies and subsidiaries in the ownership structure.

New York Times