Donbas to Survive for About 15 Days if Kyiv Cuts Off Gas Supplies: Reports
MOSCOW, November 1 (RIA Novosti) – The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) can survive on its own gas for just about two weeks if Ukrainian authorities decide to cut off gas supplies to the region, DPR’s Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin said Saturday in an interview with the Govorit Moskva radio station.
“The situation is serious … our gas is enough for 15-16 days. Now, it is not consumed by the industry, and is mainly consumed by the population. That is, turning off gas [supply], Kyiv will cut off the supplies going to the residential neighborhoods and, in fact, apartments and houses,” Govorit Moskva quoted Purgin as saying.
According to the radio station, Purgin has also noted that there may come a moment when the United Nations and Russia may have to intervene, as the Ukrainian authorities are not currently holding any talks on gas deliveries to the region.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk proposed to cut off gas supplies to the regions, which are not controlled by Kyiv, and said that he plans to discuss this issue with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.
Yatsenyuk stated that Kyiv does not receive gas payments from these regions, and assured that the national oil and gas company, Naftogaz, has all necessary technical capabilities to cut the supply gas off.
Residents of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions proclaimed respective republics, refusing to recognize the new Kyiv authorities that came to power in Ukraine after the February coup. Republics declared their sovereignty, based on the results of the referendums held in May.