Russia's Gazprom starts supplying gas to eastern Ukraine
Russia's major natural gas supplier Gazprom has begun supplying gas directly to areas in eastern Ukraine under the control of pro-Russia forces after their leaders announced that Kiev had cut supplies.
"From 1600 (1300 GMT) on February 19, Gazprom is supplying gas to Ukraine including through the Prokhorovka and Platovo gas metering stations to an amount of 12 million cubic meters (mcm) per 24 hours," RIA Novosti quoted Gazprom Chief Alexei Miller as saying on Thursday.
Ukraine's pro-Russian forces stated earlier that Kiev had suddenly ceased the gas flow to the region without warning, expressing their desire to have access to Russian gas.
This is while Ukraine's national gas company Naftogaz confirmed the cut-off of gas supplies but cited pipeline damage caused by the ongoing fighting as the reason for the interruption.
"Resuming supplies is impossible because of the ongoing fighting," which prevented repair teams from safely carrying out the required work, said a statement issued by the company.
Meanwhile, Miller said gas delivery to the affected regions was being made in accordance with the "current sale-and-purchase contract between Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz."
Naftogaz's chairman, Andriy Kobolev, said the company would refuse to make payments for the Russian gas supplies to eastern Ukraine since it had no control over the territory where the pipes were damaged and that there was no way to check how much gas was being supplied.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated in a government meeting on Thursday that Moscow could deliver "humanitarian aid in the form of gas supplies" to the territories controlled by the pro-Russian forces, and ordered the energy ministry to coordinate the issue of aid delivery with Gazprom.
MFB/KA/MHB
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