Ukrainian oil refineries slam government ban on Odessa-Brody pipeline deal.

Western Ukrainian refineries could grind to a halt as a result of the ban imposed by Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko on a contract enabling Azerbaijani oil to be pumped through the Odessa-Brody pipeline in the European direction, the refineries' top managers have said. The refineries have not received any Russian crude for two years and are on the verge of bankruptcy unless they start receiving Caspian oil from the Odessa-Brody pipeline being used in the original direction, they said. Tymoshenko blocked the Azerbaijani contract on the grounds that it would hand control over the pipeline to Ukrainian tycoon Ihor Kolomoyskyy via an off-shore company. The following is the text of …