How Russians ‘bought up’ Ukraine

Russia has always had an eye on the Ukrainian economy—and not only to profit or extract resources from its envied neighbour.

First, it has sought to take control of Ukraine’s strategic industries. Russia’s Gazprom wanted to buy the Ukrainian gas transmission system and gas distribution network operators to make Ukraine fully dependent on its gas supplies.

Second, Russia wanted to eliminate competitors. A case in point is the Zaporizky Aluminum Plant (ZAlK), which was bought by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and gradually driven to bankruptcy—so that Mr Deripaska’s Russian plants would not be challenged in the market.