The move came after Russian state giant Gazprom said it had halted gas deliveries to Ukraine after Kiev failed to make upfront payments for more supplies.
Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said that as of 0700 GMT Ukraine's Naftogaz had used up all the gas it had paid for and "no new upfront payment has been made".
"As such, deliveries have been stopped until the receipt of new payments from the Ukrainian company," Miller said in a statement.
"The refusal to buy Russian gas will create serious risks for the reliable transit of gas to Europe through Ukraine and for the supply of gas to Ukrainian consumers during the upcoming winter," Miller warned.
Russia and Ukraine -- locked in a bitter feud since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in March 2014 -- have been involved in a festering gas pricing dispute that has seen supplies repeatedly cut off.
Moscow turned the taps back on in October under a deal that saw Kiev switch to a pre-payment system, meaning that cash-strapped Ukraine must stump up money in advance to cover Russian gas deliveries.
Some 15 percent of the gas used in Europe travels through Ukraine, and the EU has been involved in mediating the dispute between the two sides.
Gazprom's announcement comes as tensions between Moscow and Kiev have risen again over the annexed Crimea peninsula after explosions in Ukraine cut electricity supplies to most of the territory and Kiev ordered a halt to goods deliveries.
The tensions over Crimea come despite a dip in fighting in the conflict in the east of Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels have agreed a shaky ceasefire deal with government troops.
i24news.tv
25/11/15
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L'Ukraine interdit aux avions russes de survoler son territoire ...
ReplyDeleteLe Premier ministre ukrainien Arseni Iatseniouk a annoncé mercredi l'interdiction pour les avions russes de survoler l'Ukraine pour éviter des "provocations", nouvelle étape dans la crise entre ces deux pays voisins.
"Le gouvernement ukrainien décide d'interdire tous les vols de compagnies aériennes russes transitant par l'espace aérien ukrainien", a annoncé M. Iatseniouk lors d'un conseil des ministres.
"La Russie peut utiliser l'espace aérien ukrainien pour des provocations", a-t-il estimé.
Cette annonce intervient plusieurs semaines après le crash d'un avion de ligne russe en Egypte fin octobre, dû à un attentat revendiqué par le groupe Etat islamique.
Espace aérien russe fermé aux avions ukrainiens
Certains observateurs avaient alors estimé que dans le cas d'un incident similaire avec un avion russe au-dessus de l'Ukraine, Moscou pourrait mettre en cause les autorités ukrainiennes et envoyer son armée dans cette ex-république soviétique.............http://www.rtbf.be/info/dossier/ukraine-la-guerre-de-kiev/detail_l-ukraine-interdit-aux-avions-russes-de-survoler-son-territoire?id=9147209