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Kobolyev is optimistic about the timeframe of recovering $2.6 billion from Russia's gas giant.
CEO of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Kobolyev says the company has already begun to recover US$2.6 billion in debt from Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom that lost a lawsuit filed by Naftogaz with Stockholm arbitration on a gas transit contract.
"We have already begun to receive them [funds]: First, we are writing off the excess funds that Gazprom paid us for [gas] transit services. Secondly, we've initiated legal processes in approximately six jurisdictions. Third, there will be hearings in three of them on the forced sale [of assets], namely in the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. [Gazprom's] assets have already been seized there," he told the Novoe Vremya news outlet on January 17.
Read alsoGazprom disrupts technical consultations on gas transit via Ukraine – MFA
At the same time, Kobolyev is optimistic about the timeframe of recovering $2.6 billion from Russia's gas giant.
"Gazprom has assets worth tens of billions of dollars overseas. We've already seized them for an amount exceeding Gazprom's debt owed to us. I think it's realistic to do this within a year," he added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, at the end of February 2018, Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom lost a lawsuit filed by Naftogaz with Stockholm arbitration on a gas transit contract. Gazprom was obliged to pay $4.6 billion to the Ukrainian side.
At the same time, taking into account the arbitration award on the gas supply contract, the final amount of settlements between the two companies is $2.6 billion in favor of Naftogaz.
Against the backdrop of their loss, Gazprom announced their intention to terminate via court its contracts with Ukraine for the supply and transit of gas. Late in March, Gazprom officially notified Naftogaz of their refusal to comply with the arbitration award.
Late in May, Naftogaz began the process of forcing the $2.6 billion debt from Gazprom in foreign courts. The recovery process is under way in England, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Among the assets of interest to the Ukrainian side are the shares of companies operating the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
In the summer of 2018, Naftogaz filed a new lawsuit with the Stockholm Arbitration seeking a revision of the gas transit tariff under a contract with Gazprom.
Naftogaz has been demanding the revision of the tariff from March 2018 (to the end of 2019). The company tentatively estimated its claims at about $12 billion.