Russian company inactive operating in Poland? KO politicians cut off the discussion on this subject

angora24.pl 5 months ago

Company for respective PLN

In 2024, Warsaw City Bus Station acquired a bus depot on which there was a gas installation formerly owned by a Russian company associated with Gazprom. This company has been on the sanctions list since 2023 for supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, it has now been removed from this list, as it was sold for 3 golds, making it formally a Polish company.

In September 2024 the Municipal Bus Facilities purchased a depot at Płochocińska Street from private carrier ITS Michalczewski of Radom for over 61 million PLN. As then explained by MZA president Jan Kuźmiński in an interview with the “Capital Gaseta”, the company gained a full equipped base with buildings, media, convenient location and anticipation of expansion.

Virtual Poland, however, informed that together with the depot the city company was besides to take over the gas installation owned by Cryogas M&T Poland, a subsidiary of the Russians cooperating with Gazprom. This company, listed on the sanction list in July 2023, was subject, among others, to the freezing of funds and exclusion from public contracts for supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine. MZA denies these reports.

Russian or not?

According to Virtual Poland, Omne Energia will proceed to supply gas to the depot at Płochocińska Street. MZA will pay PLN 26.7 million for deliveries from January 2025 to October 2026. The tender was not carried out because, as MZA explains, the bus refuelling installation belongs to Omne Energia, which makes it the only possible supplier.

Omne Energia was removed from the sanction list by the decision of Deputy Minister Czesław Mroczka, who justified this by the sale of shares by Russian owners to Polish buyers. However, Virtual Poland points to controversy: the company, previously acting as Cryogas M&T Poland, was sold for PLN 3 and not on marketplace terms, but to Polish managers cooperating with the Russians for years.

We are not invited to discuss

Councillors PiS and Left tried to get information about the contacts of the Warsaw company with the Russians. Although the Citizens' Coalition, which holds a majority on the council, agreed to add this item to the agenda, the debate was yet blocked by the same KO councillors. Rafał Trzaskowski sent only his deputy to the session, while he decided to run his campaign.

Jakub Wiech, editor-in-chief of the portal Energetyka24.com, emphasises that the intent of the sanctions is to exclude Russians from supply chains in Poland and the European Union. The inclusion of companies with dubious ties to Russia, even "polonised", may undermine this objective. Wiech besides points out that agreements with public entities strengthen the marketplace position of specified undertakings. This in turn raises the question whether the Polish state should support their development, since it knows their history.

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