Structures associated with "RosUkrEnergo" have begun buying up Ukrainian regional gas distribution companies through a friendly broker — "Raiffeisen Investment." This is reported by "Delo." \nAccording to the publication, "Raiffeisen Investment" — a structure friendly to Dmytro Firtash — has already begun negotiations with two large owners of regional gas companies about a possible sale. Negotiations are being conducted with Ihor Yeremeyev's company "Continuum" (controls "Lvivgaz," "Volyngaz," "Rivnegaz" and "Chernivtsigaz") and "Gaztek" (controls "Zhytomyrgaz," "Mykolaivgaz," "Khmelnytskgaz" and "Tysmenytsiagaz"). \n \nThe publication also notes that information about the buy-up was indirectly confirmed on the eve by Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko. "Acquiring a share in gas supply and gasification enterprises of city and regional gas companies is the next stage of 'UkrGaz-Energo's' work," he said. "A gas supplier must participate in the work of sales networks on the domestic market. This does not concern trunk networks, it concerns the retail network of regional gas companies," noted Boyko. \n \nBoyko believes that buying up regional gas companies is a thoroughly European path. "A gas supplier sets the goal of reaching the end consumer. For this it buys up assets and carries out consolidation," explained the minister. "A company that comes to a country's market takes on its problems and responds more adequately to consumer needs. It filters all global trends that could negatively affect the domestic market through its own financial system in order to ensure the stability of the domestic market," said the minister. The publication notes that by buying up regional gas companies, the "UkrGaz-Energo" — "RosUkrEnergo" alliance is trying to strengthen its positions on the Ukrainian gas market. \n \nThe future sellers of the regional gas companies do not want to disclose details of the operation. "Raiffeisen Investment" itself refused to comment on information about possible operations, as well as the content of the negotiations. \n \nRecall that 50% of "UkrGaz-Energo" belongs to the monopoly gas supplier to Ukraine "RosUkrEnergo," and 50% of the latter in turn belongs to "Gazprom." \n \n