DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) – As battle raged in rebellion-wracked eastern Ukraine, cargo trains piled high with coal thundered along rail tracks to keep heating and power going to households in rebel-held territory.
Coal is the lifeblood of this region dominated by pro-Russian separatists – and now the source of its first corruption scandal. The former energy minister of the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic has accused a top rebel official of pocketing money from the sale of coal to power plants. Both men are now languishing in jail in connection with an investigation into abuse of authority.
The details are murky, but there is growing agreement that the opaque nature of the new order in separatist-controlled areas has created fertile ground for the corruption that flourished under President Viktor Yanukovych, a native of the east who was overthrown in February. Yegor Korosov, an adviser to the rebel government, said opportunists have filled a power vacuum created by the chaos of war, calling them “parasites that have attached themselves to a fast-moving train.”
Corruption is now sapping enthusiasm for the separatist movement among those who might otherwise be its eager backers: “Corruption is all around, I bump into it everywhere,” said Nikolai Usov, a resident of the rebel-controlled Luhansk region. “Anywhere you go, they want money from you.”
The coal intrigue is brewing against the backdrop of a devastating war that has officially claimed a little over 4,000 lives in six months, with the real death toll likely far greater. Supporters of Alexei Granovsky, fuel and energy minister until he leveled accusations against Industry Minister Alexander Kalyussky, contend he is paying the penalty for blowing the whistle on the alleged scam.