Russia’s Gazprom continues to supply gas to separatist-held territories and billing Ukraine for it
In the first half of 2017, Russian Gazprom delivered 1,389 billion cubic meters of gas to the separatist DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic. The price of Russian gas as of the first quarter of 2017 was $306.6 per thousand cubic meters, as supported by the data from Gazprom’s report for the second quarter.
Ukraine has not been importing gas from Russia for more than 600 days, which means, all deliveries go to separatist-held territories of Ukraine.
According to Gazprom’s data, in the first quarter of 2017, 1.11 billion cubic meters of gas were supplied to separatist-controlled territories in the Donbas. In the second quarter, the supply was 280 million cubic meters. Gazprom had started supplying gas to the uncontrolled territories on February 19, 2015.
From February 19, 2015 to June 30, 2017, per Gazprom's reports, 5.48 billion cubic meters were delivered to separatist republics in eastern Ukraine: 1.7 billion cubic meters in 2015, 2.39 billion cubic meters in 2016, and 1.39 billion cubic meters in the first half of 2017.
Russia adds these deliveries to the debt owed by Naftogaz of Ukraine, though the Ukrainian company has long stated that it does not intend to pay for gas delivered to the territories which are not under Ukraine’s control. Naftogaz stressed that it does not accept gas under a contract with Gazprom coming through Prokhorovka and Platovo gas-metering stations. Accordingly, data on gas supplies through these stations cannot be used in the preparation of reports on acceptance of gas and, accordingly, these gas deliveries cannot be paid for by Naftogaz.