Russia says to halt gas supplies to Ukraine, mulling coal cut off over Crimea

[MowCowWhoHow III]

Source: Reuters

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow would cut gas supplies to Ukraine on Tuesday or Wednesday because Kiev had not paid up front for more gas and might also halt coal supplies to Ukraine in retaliation for a power blackout of Crimea.

Alexander Novak, in comments to Vesti FM radio station, was speaking as Russian-annexed Crimea continued to rely on emergency generators to meet its basic power needs after unknown saboteurs blew up electricity pylons supplying the peninsula with electricity over the weekend.

Pro-Ukrainian activists have so far prevented repairs to the damaged pylons and associated power lines.

"Today or tomorrow gas deliveries will be stopped because of lack of advance payment," said Novak, saying Ukraine was in any case using very little Russian gas.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-ukraine-crisis-crimea-novak-idUSKBN0TD0PE20151124?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

[Demeter]

1. One has to think the Ukrainian Nazis are insane

or that they want to start WWIII.

[That Guy 888]

2. I had heard that it was Crimean Tartars that sabotaged the electrical pylons.

If that is really what happened. There were Tartar flags on the destroyed pylons, but it seems hard to say for certain. The Tartars are allegedly being targeted for ethnic cleansing by the Russians in Crimea, but either the Russians or the Ukrainians could be doing a false flag.

[CJCRANE]

3. Right Sector was also involved in halting the repairs

according to some reports I saw.

[Igel]

4. Yeah, they've been pushing for an economic blockade of Crimea.

Ukraine's been treating the Crimea as still belonging to Ukraine. No tariffs, easy access and trade, etc., etc. Right now the most ardent Russophiles in Crimea aren't in bad shape: They get greater benefits and support from Russia and the relaxation of tensions across that particular border let goods. They're in touch with Russia, have Russian-level incomes with Ukrainian-level prices. It's a win/win for them.

They also have a "safe space" free from having to deal with hearing the offensive Ukrainian language spoken on pure, Russian soil, or even worse--dealing with Tatar!

Crimea hasn't been reciprocating to the same extent, preferring to trade with Russia for better prices, and the right believes that a blockade will change some of the Crimeans' minds. They've been interfering with traffic on the Kherson for a month or to, so interfering with pylon reconstruction isn't an entirely new or novel thing.

It's also what the LNR and DNR has done with Ukrainian efforts to repair pylons on LNR and DNR territory that fed Ukrainian-held territory. Sometimes the "good rebels" held up work for months. The Ukrainian right, noxious though it be, has a knack for helping to point out Russian hypocrisy. And, of course, in so doing be what they claim to despise.