Roman Kupchinsky
Roman Kupchinsky was born in Vienna, Austria and immigrated to the United States in 1949. He graduated with a degree in Political Science from Long Island University; served in the US Army as a rifle platoon leader in Vietnam. From 1978-1988 was President of Prolog Research Corp., a Ukrainian language publishing house and research company. From 1990-2002 was Director of the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. From 2002-2008 was a senior analyst at RFE/RL. He was the author of numerous articles on Ukrainian affairs, Russian energy and international politics. He edited RFE’s Organized Crime and Corruption Watch as well as two collections of samizdat articles “The Nationality Problem in the USSR” and “Pogrom in Ukraine”. He lived in Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Kupchinsky passed away in January, 2010.
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Articles by Roman Kupchinsky
Ukrainian Government Fears a New Winter Gas Crisis
In December Ukrainian officials descended on Washington with one overriding mission –to convince the Obama administration that without the financial help of the IMF, Ukraine might be unable to supply
Russian Gas Flaring: a Political or Technical Problem?
On December 2, the Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service reportedly will consider the conflict between two Russian state-owned companies –Gazprom and Rosneft. The decision came after Rosneft filed a complaint alleging
Ukraine’s Energy Mess Threatens to Overshadow Presidential Election
As the Ukrainian government of Yulia Tymoshenko continues to struggle with the impact of the global economic crisis, its troubled energy sector has taken a number of new hits. The
Russian Energy Strategy – the Domestic Political Factor
In 2003 a team of Russian foreign policy and energy experts wrote a 70 page memo about the role of Gazprom, the state-owned gas monopoly, in Russia’s domestic politics and
Russia’s New Ukrainian Disinformation Campaign
Disinformation, or the planting of false information to deceive or smear an enemy, is now being regularly used by both government and non-governmental players in Russia and Ukraine in the
The Ukrainian Coal Mining Industry: Problem Child or Savior?
Coal mining, and especially coking coal, has been a very problematic industry in Ukraine -it is highly inefficient due to outdated machinery and the depth of its mines. According to
Russian Oil and Gas in 2030
The once all-powerful Russian energy sector appears to be on unpredictable and shaky grounds today. The development of the giant Kovykta gas field, once considered as a major project, has
The Black Sea: a Hotbed of Corruption over Oil and Gas Deposits?
While the European Union frets over Russian efforts to impose its energy diktat by building gas and oil pipelines on the bottom of the Black Sea, new conflicts are emerging
Russia’s Far East Energy Dilemma
The Russian government began insisting in late July that gas from the Sakhalin-1 project must not be sold to China by its partners, including ExxonMobil, but instead diverted to meet
Russia’s Hired Lobbies in the West
Russia's attempts to promote a positive image of being a "reliable energy supplier" as well as a safe and profitable haven for foreign investments have played a significant role in
Vice-President Biden’s Mission to Kyiv
The visit by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden to Kyiv on July 21-22 was a strenuous test of his diplomatic skills. He needed to avoid the political land mines separating Ukrainian
Ukrainian Reactions to the Obama-Medvedev Summit
U.S. President Barack Obama's first summit meeting in Moscow with Russian leaders did not warrant headlines in the Ukrainian media. The top story, understandably, continued to be the seemingly unending
EU Commission Warns Member States of New Russian-Ukrainian Gas War
Following a recent telephone conversation between the head of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the commission urged all E.U. member states to
The Gazprom-Hungarian Gas Scam
A burst of sunshine has finally been shed on the little known story of how a once obscure Ukrainian entrepreneur, Dmytro Firtash, suspected of links to Russian organized crime, and
Russian LNG – The Future Geopolitical Battleground
The global natural gas industry is undergoing a historical shift away from overland pipeline deliveries of gas and gradually towards Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), shipped by seaborne tankers designed to
Gazprom’s Miscalculation
In early 2009 a number of European countries suddenly found themselves ensnared by events over which they had little, if any control. Poland and Hungary discovered that gas supply contracts
Nord Stream, Matthias Warnig (codename “Arthur”) and the Gazprom Lobby
The ongoing battle over the construction of the Russian-German Nord Stream gas pipeline is reaching a critical stage. In June the German ministry of defense once again voiced its opposition
Controversial Fraud Trial Closed in Moscow
On June 2 the long-awaited trial began in Moscow's Tushinsky District Court of Vladimir Nekrasov, the reputed owner of Arbat Prestige, the largest chain of cosmetics stores in Russia and
Russia and Ukraine Revisit Gas Conflict
In what is becoming a monthly ritual, the Russian leadership has publicly stated that they fear Ukraine will be unable to pay its upcoming bill for Russian gas delivered in
Gazprom’s Loyalists in Berlin and Brussels
Gazprom's extensive network of loyalists, often act as "men of sacrifice," devoted to cleansing the image of the Russian state owned gas monopoly. Working out of a modern office building
Energy and the Russian National Security Strategy
On May 12 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev approved the latest version of the "National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation up to 2020" (www.scrf.gov.ru, May 12). The text of the
RosGas AG to Control 20 Percent of Hungarian Gas Distribution
Barely nine days after the Hungarian gas trader Emfesz KFT announced that it will begin receiving supplies of 3 billion cubic meters annually from the Zug (Switzerland) based company RosGas
Gazprom’s Murky Games in Hungary
Gazprom may be preparing to take over a large part of the Hungarian domestic gas distribution network. A new, highly opaque deal is in the works as a result of
Medvedev Proposes a New “Energy Balance” in Europe
During his visit to Helsinki, Finland on April 20, 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined a plan which would transform the Energy Charter, a document which has never been ratified
LNG – Russia’s New Energy Blackmail Tool
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently explained: "Russia enjoys vast energy and mineral resources which serve as a basis to develop its economy; as an instrument to implement domestic and
As Gazprom Threatens the EU, Iran Presents an Alternative
On April 1 Iran's Oil Minister, Gholam-Hossein Nozari took another step in promoting his country's goal of becoming a major natural gas supplier to the EU when he announced in
Azerbaijan and Russia Ink Tentative Gas Agreement
On March 27 Russia's state owned gas monopoly Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding with Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and Gas Company, SOCAR, which would provide for deliveries of Azeri gas
Opening Salvos of a New Gas War: Russia Versus the EU and Ukraine
The Ukrainian - EU agreement on renovating the main Ukrainian gas trunk pipeline signed in Brussels on March 23 was greeted with a virulent reaction from Moscow. Russian Prime Minister
The Strange Ties between Semion Mogilevich and Vladimir Putin
On March 23, 2009 the Moscow City Court ruled that Semion Mogilevich, also known as Sergiy Shneider, will remain in prison until May 23 while investigators continue to examine his
Corruption in Romania—Can It Be Eliminated?
Romania and Bulgaria find themselves in the unenviable position of being the poster children for corruption in the EU. Bulgaria is plagued by organized crime gangs roaming the streets of
Security Service Raids Ukrainian State Gas Companies
On March 4 and 5 armed units of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted raids on the headquarters of Naftohaz Ukrainy, the state-owned oil and gas company, and UkrTranshaz,
Ukraine Warns of Looming Gas Payment Default to Gazprom
Will the European Union face a new cutoff of gas supplies from Russia in March? This possibility became more ominous when Ukraine's states-owned gas monopoly, Naftohaz Ukrainy, warned that it
Gazprom’s European Web
For over a decade the proliferation of so-called “Gas Trading” companies in Europe has destabilized the EU energy market and possibly criminalized it as well. The appearance of such companies
Bulgaria’s “Overgas,” a Russian Spy in Canada, and Gazprom
In February 2009, after the Ukrainian-Russian gas conflict ended and deliveries of gas were restored to Bulgaria, Bulgarian officials announced that they would once again seek to remove two middleman
The Russian-Central European Gas Conflict Continues
While the Ukrainian-Russian gas conflict appears to have been resolved, its fallout is still reverberating throughout Central Europe. In Poland, RosUkrEnergo (RUE), the Swiss based middleman that was dropped from
The Role of Russian Organized Crime in the Gas War of January 2009
On January 20 Alexei Miller, the CEO of Russia’s state-owned gas monopoly, Gazprom, made an amazing confession. He told Interfax that in late December 2008, when negotiations between Ukraine and
The 18-Day Gas War – Why was it fought? Who Won?
A preliminary, and possibly premature, report of the 18-day Russian-Ukrainian “Gas War” of January 2009 might read as follows:This war should never have taken place. The conflict had little to
Gazprom’s Destabilization Plan for Ukraine and Southeast Europe
When the tense horse trading among the EU, Ukraine and Russia about allowing EU monitors to observe how Russia was renewing the flow of gas to Europe and how Ukraine
Russia’s Gas Disinformation Game
Disinformation operations, as every former KGB operative knows, can be an invaluable tool in winning a war. “Deza,” as it is called by the old boys who once worked on
Gazprom’s Gas Price Shell Game
How does Russia’s Gazprom set the price for the gas it sells its customers in the former Soviet republics and the EU? Few, if any, managers in Gazprom can answer
Gazprom Stops Gas Deliveries to Ukraine—What Next?
On the morning of January 1, OAO Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas monopoly, in league with the Russian government, decreased the volume of gas shipped to Ukraine by 90 million
The Price of Gas and Russian Democracy
Russia’s state-owned gas giant Gazprom is preparing for a major financial hit in 2009. The world-wide economic slowdown has diminished gas consumption for Gazprom’s European industrial customers. The price of
Russia, LNG, and the U.S. Natural Gas Market
In 2006, when oil and natural gas prices began steadily climbing, Russia’s state-owned gas company Gazprom announced that it had ambitions to become a leading Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supplier
Berlusconi, Centrex, Hexagon 1 and 2 and Gazprom
Sergio Berlusconi, the billionaire Italian Prime Minister, arrived in Moscow on November 6 to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and sign an Italian-Russian deal that will involve Russia in
A New Ukrainian Russian Gas Confrontation
Just when the outlook for normalization in the Ukrainian-Russian gas relationship appeared on the horizon, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Gazprom head Alexei Miller have upset the gas cart.On November
Russia and the World Gold Market
One might ask how far Kremlin-backed Russian companies will go in their quest to take control of valuable gold mining assets not only in Eastern and Central Europe, but in
The Shadowy Side of Gazprom’s Expanding Central European Gas Hub
OMV, the Austrian oil and gas group, and Russia’s Gazprom, along with the Vienna Stock Exchange and Centrex Europe Energy and Gas AG (CEEGAG) have agreed to cooperate in developing
YugoRosGas—Another Gazprom Scandal
Russian Gazprom’s opaque European network of subsidiaries and silent partners, which have been mired in numerous scandals over the past decade, is once again involved in what appears to be
The Gas Cartel Troika
On October 21, with oil prices falling below $69 a barrel on fears of a world-wide recession, three countries possessing over 50 percent of the World’s natural gas reserves agreed
THE GAS TANGO IN KYIV
With President Viktor Yushchenko’s disbanding of the Ukrainian parliament on October 8 and legal squabbles over new elections, the continuing Ukrainian-Russian negotiations over 2009 gas supplies for Ukraine appear to
YUSHCHENKO FATIGUE IN WASHINGTON?
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko’s working visit to Washington in late September left many observers wondering what, if anything, the visit had accomplished. The apparent purpose of the trip was to
SURPRISING AND CONTRADICTORY OPINIONS ON THE UKRAINIAN STREETS
A number of recent public opinion polls in Ukraine reveal that regional differences toward Russia after the war in Georgia remain a factor but are not as extreme as some
THE STATE OF THE UKRAINIAN MILITARY
During the August 2008 commemoration of the 17th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, armored units of Ukraine’s ground forces paraded down Kyiv’s Khreschatyk Boulevard, while air force planes flew overhead in
UKRAINE DIVIDED ON RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA
The official Ukrainian response to Russia’s recognition of the independence of Georgia’s two breakaway provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, on August 25, 2008, was not unexpected. The Ukrainian foreign ministry
UKRAINE AND THE CONFLICT IN SOUTH OSSETIA
In the morning of August 10, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed its Russian counterpart that in order to prevent Ukraine from being drawn into an armed conflict, Ukraine
GAZPROM’S EUROPEAN EXPANSION DILEMMA
Gazprom’s web in Europe continued to expand when the Russian state-owned gas monopoly announced that it would begin supplying gas to Ireland through its subsidiary Gazprom Marketing and Trading. Precise
IS UKRAINE ON THE BRINK OF AN ENERGY CRISIS?
Come January 2009 Ukraine will, in all likelihood, begin paying Russia’s Gazprom in the range of $400 per 1,000 cubic meters for natural gas or $22 billion per year. Presently
SUB-ROSA WARFARE IN THE CRIMEA
On the evening of July 24, 2008, Russian State Duma member Konstantin Zatulin was banned from entering Ukraine for one year when he arrived in Simferopol airport in the Crimea
PUTIN’S AFRIKA KORPS
Deals by Russian companies seeking to acquire African minerals seem to be the order of the day. A $2 billion investment in Zambia was announced in June. The companies, whose
THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN UKRAINE–RESURRECTING THE PAST
The Kremlin has once again raised the hoary issue of the rights of Russian language speakers in Ukraine, apparently as part of its campaign to make Russian the official lingua
NEW TWISTS IN THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN DISPUTE
The continuing Ukrainian-Russian war of words took on a new twist on June 13, when the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of acting jointly with unnamed foreign companies to develop
IS GAZPROM MANEUVERING TO OBTAIN ROMANIAN ALUMINUM?
Romania’s important aluminum industry has long held an attraction for Russian companies. Two years ago their efforts came to the attention of the Romanian Intelligence Service (Serviciului Român de Informaţii),