Olha Buslavets Is Ukraine’s New Acting Energy Minister

During an emergency Cabinet session on April 16, the government appointed Olha Buslavets to be the Acting Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection, according to a Cabinet press release.

Buslavets comes with a pedigree from the Ministry of Energy, having worked there from 2005 to 2020. A month after she left the Ministry earlier this year, she became a candidate to its top post. She was an ex-member of the Energy Markets Directorate in the Ministry, and also worked as a director of the electro-energy compliance department.

At the session, Buslavets noted that the Ukrainian energy industry faces many challenges.

“At this moment, we’re living through one of the biggest crises in all of Ukraine’s history, and the crisis in the energy sector is an integral part of that. It’s completely obvious that solving the systematic problems in the energy [sector] is one of the biggest open questions in national security, and I recognize that the position of Minister is a key role in these times,” said Buslavets.

She added that over the course of the following week, a list will be drawn up containing urgent events that involve the energy sector.

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Prior to Buslavets’ appointment, Vitaliy Shubin headed the Ministry. He was appointed as acting minister on March 10.