Gazprom he interrupted the gas supplies to Ukraine for non-payment by Kiev. This move, at the gates of winter, "could create serious risks of interruption of supplies of Russian gas to Europe", specified the same energy group in Moscow. According to the number one of the company, Alexiei Miller, Ukraine has begun to withdraw gas from the deposits, but these are not full enough to guarantee transit to Europe. The decision to turn off the taps was made yesterday after the shooting down of the Russian fighter by Turkey.
Gazprom specified that today all the gas already paid for was delivered to Kiev and that no new requests have arrived. “Warnings” about the situation had been given in recent days.
Thus resumes the gas dispute between Moscow and Kiev, which this time takes place in the context of new tensions after the sabotage of the power lines which in recent days has left the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in March 2014, in the dark.
The latest supply disruption was decided by Russia last summer. The Russian gas it only started flowing to Ukraine again on 12 October, after signing an agreement under which Kiev would pay the requested volumes in advance.
In particular, Gazprom had reactivated the flows after collecting 234 million dollars, part of a half-billion advance proposed by Kiev. The agreement, carried out with pressure from the EU, had led Russia to lower the price to Ukraine to the same level practiced for neighboring countries, from 251 dollars per thousand cubic meters to about 230 dollars.
