The competition commission on senior civil service elected Maksim Nemchinov as the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining.

The relevant decision was taken at the session of the commission on November 15, Ukrainian news reports.

Nemchinov is the Commercial Director of Almax PCF, LLC.  

The competition commission also elected the reserve candidate Julia Pidkomorna, who has the right to be appointed as the Secretary of State during the year, if Nemchinov does not undergo special tests, refuses from the position or in case of force majeure circumstances.

As previously EP reported that, in 2011-2014, Nemchinov was the head of the Coal Mining Reforming Division in the Coal Mining Restructuring Department of the Ministry of Energy. The Head of this department was Alexander Vivcharenko, who was said to be the fellow of Rinat  Akhmetov by UP. In particular, the “regional” Vivcharenko, who managed Pavlogradugol and Rovenkiantratsit mines (belonging to Akhmetov’s DTEK Group).

Pidkomorna is the Head of Communications and Administration Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining. She constantly appears within the context of Ostap Semerak and Vera Ulianchenko.

In summer 2007, she became the Head of the Division for Maintenance of Activities of the Management Board of Kyiv Regional State Administration, while until November 2007, Semerak was the Deputy Chairman of Kyiv Regional State Administration Vera Ulianchenko. In 2014, Semerak appointed her as the Deputy Head of Service of the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers (both resigned in December 2014).

In early 2015, several months Pidkomorna was the assistant of the People’s Deputy Semerak, after which in May, she became the head of agency in the Ministry of Energy. Pidkomorna is the member of the management board of Vera Ulianchenko’s Charity Fund “Big Family”.