Blast at Ukrainian pipeline as Kyiv reacts to Russian gas halt
- 10 years ago
An explosion has been reported at a stretch of Ukrainian pipeline carrying gas from Russia to Europe.
Ukraine’s government claimed it could have been a terrorist act.
Russian energy exporter Gazprom stressed it would not impact gas supply to Europe, according to Reuters news agency.
Just yesterday the gas giant stopped the transit of gas to Ukraine over Kyiv’s failure to pay substantial debts. Today Kyiv reiterated anger at a move they see as politically motivated.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine’s Prime Minister has this to say on the decision:
“The Ukrainian government believes that the gas agreement is part of the Russian plan for aggression, trying to destroy the independence of the country and Ukraine as a state.”
Failure to renegotiate a gas deal is just one problem facing the country’s leaders. Fighting insurgency in the east, outside Ukraine’s state parliament people today called for snap elections.
Part of the pro-Europe camp, these demonstrators don’t see the current crop of MPs as representative of a new political era.
The next parliamentary vote is scheduled for 2017.
Ukraine’s government claimed it could have been a terrorist act.
Russian energy exporter Gazprom stressed it would not impact gas supply to Europe, according to Reuters news agency.
Just yesterday the gas giant stopped the transit of gas to Ukraine over Kyiv’s failure to pay substantial debts. Today Kyiv reiterated anger at a move they see as politically motivated.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine’s Prime Minister has this to say on the decision:
“The Ukrainian government believes that the gas agreement is part of the Russian plan for aggression, trying to destroy the independence of the country and Ukraine as a state.”
Failure to renegotiate a gas deal is just one problem facing the country’s leaders. Fighting insurgency in the east, outside Ukraine’s state parliament people today called for snap elections.
Part of the pro-Europe camp, these demonstrators don’t see the current crop of MPs as representative of a new political era.
The next parliamentary vote is scheduled for 2017.