“(…) Within a year, it (the river) could become the national pride and a joint property of business, citizens and authorities (if a corrupt law № 2475а “On inland water transport” was adopted). Hyperloop in Ukraine … To collect the remains of the space industry, from prisons and broken fates, in the complete despair of roads absence, rockets were sent into space, the first lunar bases were planned…”
Every day the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine dreams tirelessly of “better future” for the Ukrainians, for Ukraine… Every day he forms “…An Infrastructural Idea, which has an absolutely material dimension…”. They show us videos, presentations, write tens of various interviews, hold formal round tables and meetings so that we, business, foreign grant makers could better imagine this parallel reality. Once a year, the Ministry arranges an enchanting show-report on the activities of its head with films and champagne in order to consolidate the right “mood”.
Unfortunately, our everyday reality is completely different and it is not so bright and exciting as in Mr. Omelian’s presentations and dreams. He speaks about the desire to revive inland waterways, but what is in fact? In fact, we have to admit that this is only PR and lack of understanding of how to manage the industry.
The navigation along the Dnipro River is not started but not because of the fact the Verkhovna Rada once again hasn’t voted for a corrupt draft law No. 2475а the Minister and a people’s deputy Borys Kozyr are lobbying for. The navigation along the Dnipro River is not opened because officials of the Ministry are not capable of ensuring the continuous operation of the subordinate economy.
We reveal the result of this outrageous negligence on purpose, so that both the Ukrainians and foreign partners could see the level of “professionalism” of the Ministry which only says that its reforms are supported by everyone.
Since November 2017, the navigation has been unjustifiably stopped and the locks on the Dnipro River have been closed. And despite the loud statements of Ministry’s “reformers” that they allegedly organize year-round navigation (they even promised icebreakers to accompany vessels during the ice situation), in practice, everything is done to stop navigation along the Dnipro River even under favourable weather conditions. Thus, the inter-navigational period has lasted since November 28, 2017.
By the way, the banks that finance our projects are always interested in the duration of the inter-navigational period. As a rule, it lasts no more than 2 months.  However, this year the inter-navigational period lasts four 4 months.
Not only did our company suffer because of this inactivity (it was forced to stop the fleet operation, thereby causing the delay in the foreign economic contracts execution and appearance of penalties). The agricultural producers, who had no the opportunity to sell the grown grain and to receive funds to purchase the material resources required for spring field works because of loaded transshipment terminals on the Dnipro River, also did suffer. Moreover, we were forced to transport more than 200 thousand tons of grain by road transport during the absence of navigation along the Dnipro River.
Two weeks ago, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy personally addressed himself to Volodymyr Omelian and Raivis Veckagans asking to deal with the situation and to open navigation along the Dnipro River. But navigation is not started. Such inactivity shows that the Ministry is carrying out purposeful work to block our activities for transporting the company’s cargoes along the river.
Taking into account such a shameful phenomenon, we were forced to address ourselves to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Hroisman to put an emphasis on an attempt of the Ministry and its subordinate structures to sabotage the maritime complex.
In turn, having considered our letter Volodymyr Hroisman instructed the Ministry of Infrastructure and the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety to expeditiously process (the question raised in the company’s appeal) and to inform the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and NIBULON about the results.  
We are waiting for the response and actions of the Ministry of Infrastructure to solve this problem. This will be a real demonstration of its readiness to revive inland water transportation in real life but not on Facebook. Because while the Minister dreams of something – potential of the Dnipro River is unused…