Category: Ukraine

Russian energy company Gazprom says Ukraine may face gas shortages within two days. Igor Golovniov/Shutterstock Ukraine’s natural gas contract with Gazprom calls for a pre-payment mechanism. Unless a payment registers in the company’s account within two days, Gazprom Chief Executive Officer Alexei Miller said the spigot would be closed . "The supply of gas to Ukraine at the ordered amount … will result in a full stop of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine, which creates serious risks to gas transit to Europe," he said. Gazprom in the winters of 2006, 2009 and 2014 cut gas deliveries through Ukraine briefly in response to contractual disputes with Kiev. That left downstream consumers in Europe short on natural gas supplies. The row sparked concerns from European leaders over the influence Gazprom has over the regional energy markets, leading policymakers to create measures to deter companies from controlling natural resources and transit arteries. […]

Click here to view full article at www.upi.com

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s military said on Monday it could not start withdrawing heavy weapons from the frontline in the east as pro-Russian separatists had not stopped attacking government positions despite a ceasefire deal. Over the weekend, rebels and the Ukrainian military said they had reached an agreement to begin the process of withdrawing weapons, as required by the ceasefire deal that came into effect on Feb. 15. Violence has lessened significantly in recent days, but rebels twice shelled government troops overnight, spokesman Anatoly Stelmakh said. "Given that the positions of Ukrainian servicemen continue to be shelled, there can not yet be any talk of pulling back weapons," spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said in a televised briefing. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Alessandra Prentice)

Click here to view full article at www.reuters.com

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s military said on Monday it could not start withdrawing heavy weapons from the frontline in the east as pro-Russian separatists had not stopped attacking government positions despite a ceasefire deal. Over the weekend, rebels and the Ukrainian military said they had reached an agreement to begin the process of withdrawing weapons, as required by the ceasefire deal that came into effect on Feb. 15. Violence has lessened significantly in recent days, but rebels twice shelled government troops overnight, spokesman Anatoly Stelmakh said. "Given that the positions of Ukrainian servicemen continue to be shelled, there can not yet be any talk of pulling back weapons," spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said in a televised briefing. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Alessandra Prentice)

Click here to view full article at www.reuters.com

DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine/KIEV (Reuters) – Kiev accused Russia on Friday of sending more tanks and troops into eastern Ukraine and said they were heading towards the rebel-held town of Novoazovsk on the southern coast, expanding their presence on what it fears could be the next battlefront. Russia did not immediately respond to the accusation which, if confirmed, would go further to kill off a European-brokered truce that was met by relentless rebel advances after it came into force on Sunday. Moscow has always denied accusations in the past that its forces are fighting in Ukraine. Nevertheless, there were signs that the rebels may be prepared to halt their advance, having achieved their main military objective this week by seizing the strategic town of Debaltseve in defiance of the ceasefire. Reuters journalists in the battle zone, including Debaltseve itself now firmly in rebel hands, said it was quieter than it had […]

Click here to view full article at www.reuters.com

ENLARGE Ukrainian soldiers who left Debaltseve on Wednesday prepare to return to support the further withdrawal of troops on Thursday in Artemivsk. Photo: Getty Images European leaders on Thursday stood by the cease-fire they brokered a week ago for Ukraine, even as the U.S. said Russian equipment and troops continued to flow into the country and the Ukrainian military significantly raised its latest casualty toll. Kiev and its Western backers had denounced a dayslong offensive by Russia-backed separatists to seize the strategic rail hub of Debaltseve as a violation of the cease-fire. But as fighting subsided generally after the hasty retreat on Wednesday by Ukrainian forces, none of the parties appeared willing to declare the latest deal dead. “The four leaders agreed to rigorously implement the entirety of the package of measures” agreed to on Feb. 12, the office of French President François Hollande said after the conference call […]

Click here to view full article at www.wsj.com

A new faultline opened up between Ukraine and Russia over natural gas on Thursday when pro-Russian rebels in east Ukraine accused Kiev of cutting off supplies to them amid sub-zero temperatures. Russia said it had started supplying gas to the rebel-controlled regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, while Kiev said supplies had been interrupted temporarily after heavy fighting damaged pipelines. More On this topic IN Europe The gas dispute broke out less than 24 hours after thousands of Ukrainian troops were withdrawn from the ruined town of Debaltseve as it was captured by the rebels. The seizure of the town was a significant defeat for Kiev’s forces and threw into doubt a new ceasefire signed in Minsk last week. Late on Wednesday Petro Poroshenko , Ukraine’s president, called for UN and EU peacekeepers to monitor the ceasefire. But the proposal was swiftly rejected by Moscow and Russian-backed rebels in east […]

Click here to view full article at www.ft.com

Ukraine withdrew troops from Debaltseve early Wednesday after pro-Russia rebels overran much of the town despite last week’s European-brokered cease-fire deal. Mark Kelly reports. LUHANSKE, Ukraine—Nine hours after a cease-fire was supposed to take effect , rockets and mortars slammed into Ukrainian army Lt. Yuriy Brekharya ’s redoubt outside the besieged city of Debaltseve “like never before,” he said. Three days of relentless pounding later, he appealed to a neighboring commander for help after advancing Russia-backed separatists destroyed his unit’s final armored vehicle. “Buddy, I’ve got nothing to help you with,” came the reply. Lt. Yuriy Brekharya outside Luhanske village on Wednesday. So Lt. Brekharya, a 37-year-old financial analyst, gathered his 50 men and led them on a 14-mile overnight march across fields, streams and hills through separatist lines. As dawn broke Wednesday, he was among the first of hundreds of fleeing soldiers to arrive in trucks, tanks or […]

Click here to view full article at www.wsj.com

ARTEMIVSK, Ukraine — Ukrainian soldiers were forced to fight their way out of the embattled town of Debaltseve in the early hours of Wednesday, casting further doubt on the credibility of a days-old cease-fire and eroding the promise of ending a war in Europe that has killed more than 5,000 people. It was unclear Wednesday how many of the thousands of Ukrainian soldiers trapped in the eastern Ukrainian town had survived the hellish retreat under enemy fire and avoided capture. President Petro O. Poroshenko put the figure at 80 percent, but since the Ukrainian military has never commented on its troop strength, the final accounting may never be known. By midday on Wednesday, as limping and exhausted soldiers began showing up in Ukraine -held territory, it became clear that the Ukrainian forces had suffered major losses, both in equipment and human life. “Many trucks left, and only a few […]

Click here to view full article at www.nytimes.com

Ukrainian government sued by early shale natural gas explorer. Photo by Calin Tatu/Shutterstock "JKX is seeking repayment of more than $180 million in rental fees that its Ukrainian subsidiary has paid on production of oil and gas in Ukraine since 2011," the company said in a statement. The company last year said new budget measures passed by the Ukrainian government meant higher taxes for the oil and gas industry in the country. The most significant, it said, was a move to nearly double the tax on gas production to close to 55 percent. JKX, which has headquarters in London, said the market available to private gas producers in Ukraine was contracting, noting the competition for industrial customers was becoming "intense." In January, the company said the economic climate in Ukraine is no longer conducive to continue investing in shale natural gas opportunities The company said Monday it started arbitration […]

Click here to view full article at www.upi.com