Naftogaz Ukrainy says resumes gas supplies to eastern Ukraine

KIEV/MOSCOW, Feb 19 (PRIME) -- Ukraine’s energy company Naftogaz Ukrainy has resumed gas supplies to the country’s eastern part after they were disrupted earlier on Thursday, the company’s CEO Andrei Kobolev said at a briefing.

“During the last five–six hours our services could not reach those gas pipelines which could fully resume supplies to the anti-terrorist operation zone. Now such a possibility appeared, and the deliveries were resumed,” Kobolev said.

Gas supplies to eastern Ukraine were stopped because of serious damages of the gas transport infrastructure by military actions, Naftogaz Ukrainy said earlier.

Kobolev also said that Naftogaz Ukrainy will not pay for gas that Russian gas giant Gazprom is now supplying to eastern Ukraine, as this contradicts the existing contract.

“Naftogaz Ukrainy will not pay this bill. We believe that this bill will contradict the contract. If to look at the situation abstractly, there is a certain territory where Gazprom announces – and so far announces – that it will supply (gas). Whether it supplies or not – we can’t confirm this,” Kobolev said. There is no possibility to control whether Gazprom is making these supplies, he added.

Gazprom increased gas supplies to southeastern Ukraine earlier on Thursday after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the country’s Energy Ministry and the company to prepare proposals on delivering gas to eastern Ukraine as humanitarian aid.

Authorities of Ukrainian self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics said early on Thursday that Kiev decided to cease gas supplies to the republics. The Luhansk republic will have enough gas supplies to last until Thursday evening, while the Donetsk republic is forced to apply to Russia for gas supplies.

The republics said later they started receiving Russian gas.

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