Russian Mafia Government Strongarms Ukraine
Not that there really is much difference these days. The Russian government suddenly surprised the Ukraine with threats to shut off natural gas supplies unless they pay $1 billion right away. The Ukraine has absolutely no idea what the Russians are talking about.
MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom warned Tuesday it would cut gas supplies to Ukraine, which transports 80 percent of Russian gas supplies to western Europe, if Kiev did not pay over a billion dollars in debt this month.
The warning revived a longstanding dispute over gas supplies that led Russia to turn off the taps to Ukraine in January 2006, provoking supply shortfalls in western Europe and doubts about Russia's reliability as an energy provider.
"If the debt is not settled in October, Gazprom will be forced to begin to cut natural gas supplies to Ukrainian consumers," the state-run company said in a statement, putting the amount of debt at 1.3 billion dollars (900 million euros).
Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz, Gazprom's counterpart, expressed bewilderment at the warning.
"We don't understand what Gazprom means. We don't understand where (the sum) came from," spokesman Oleksy Fyodorov told AFP. "We hope that by tomorrow, at least, we'll understand what they're talking about and define our position."
There had been threats circulating that Russia would sharply raise gas prices if a pro-Western government was elected. One presumes that they now know that their favored party did not win.
World news | Gaius Tuesday, 2 October , 2007
By feeblemind, Tuesday, 2 October , 2007 @ 11:38 am
Ukrainians are bewildered about the sum? Then it sounds like extortion. If I was a European gas customer of Russia, I would be worried. Very worried.
By Gaius, Tuesday, 2 October , 2007 @ 11:44 am
It genuinely appears to have caught them off guard. Yes, it is extortion.