Chubais attack linked to money, politics

MOSCOW, March 18 (UPI) -- The would-be assassin of Russian power mogul Anatoly Chubais may be linked to competing energy interests or to the government, local media said.

Many connect Thursday's assassination attempt to Chubais' reorganization of Unified Energy Systems, but others point to his ongoing political clout, The Moscow Times reported Friday.

As head of UES, Chubais, 49, has clashed with many vested interests, slashing crooked barter deals and pushing through a plan to split up the country's electricity system.

He has made many enemies, from local officials on the take to bandits, top politicians and even industrial groups seeking control of electricity generation, the newspaper said.

"There are people out there who really don't want this reform to happen because they stand to lose big money if it does happen," said David Herne, managing director of Halcyon Advisors.

Yulia Latynina, a prominent journalist, theorized in a radio interview that Chubais was the victim of a plan to halt any potential political opposition leader.

"After the victory of (Viktor) Yushchenko in Ukraine, the authorities made their conclusions and started to destroy potential Yushchenkos," she said. "One potential Yushchenko without doubt is (former Prime Minister Mikhail) Kasyanov and another is Chubais."