A closer look suggests that Boyko’s words are spin intended to divert attention from the real agenda of the “gas lobby,” a group of powerful government figures and businessmen that is believed to include him.

This group seems to be trying to sideline troubled state gas company Naftogaz from importing Russian gas to Ukraine while re-establishing fellow billionaire gas tycoon Dmytro Firtash as a major supplier of gas to Ukraine instead.

A strong backer of Yanukovych, Firtash earned a fortune when companies he controlled, most recently Swiss-registered RosUkrEnergo (which he co-owned with Russia’s Gazprom), monopolized gas supplies to Ukraine.

He was cut out of this intermediary role when his arch-enemy Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister in 2009 brokered a new gas supply agreement with Russia.

Since Yanukovych narrowly beat her in the 2010 presidential elections, Tymoshenko has been convicted and imprisoned for her role in the agreement, and Firtash has moved back into the nation’s murky gas business.

Ukraine is playing hardball with Russia in threatening to almost halve Naftogaz’s natural gas purchases from Gazprom, to 27 billion cubic meters in 2012, unless the Russian state-owned monopoly reduces prices.

– Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko

According to government figures, Ostchem, a company through which he has consolidated control over much of Ukraine’s chemical business, imported with Russian permission about 5 billion cubic meters of Central Asian gas in 2011.

Moreover, sources close to Firtash claim it imports the gas at significantly lower prices than the blue fuel that goes through Naftogaz.

These are privileges that few have and it has yet to be explained why Russia would give these favors to Firtash.

Some experts claim he returns the favor by lobbying Kremlin interests in Ukraine.

As Ukraine’s tough negotiations with Russia over gas drag on, questions should be asked about why the gas business of Boyko’s alleged associate Firtash is mushrooming while Ukraine considers relinquishing control over its strategic gas transit pipeline in return for lower import prices.

Interfax-Ukraine reported on Dec. 29 that Ostchem plans this year to boost gas imports by nearly 37 percent, to almost 7 billion cubic meters. Dragon Capital suggested that Ostchem could actually import even higher volumes.

Why is it that top officials close to Firtash, namely Boyko and presidential chief of staff Serhiy Lyovochkin struggle to strike a good gas deal for Ukraine while Firtash’s business blossoms to the point that he is re-establishing himself as a major supplier to Ukraine once again?