Russias Gazprom and Ukraine are in a gas dispute as winter approaches
KIEV, Ukraine The frigid water that comes out of the hot faucet of Alexander Korniienkos shower in Kiev is a warning for his nation: After months without natural gas shipments from Russia, Ukraine may be facing a chilly winter.
Ukrainians are layering their sweaters in preparation for yet another tough confrontation with the Kremlin, this time over energy. It is a replay of previous wintertime gas cutoffs by Russia that led to accusations that the Kremlin was using its bountiful energy supplies as a political weapon. This year, any wintertime shortfall could be far more serious for Ukrainians already contending with the dire effects of a separatist war.
Korniienko has been on the vanguard of those facing the latest gas cutoff, since Kiev eliminated city-provided hot water in July as a conservation measure. Now he bathes by heating water in pots on his stove and sloshing it over his head.
We have the ice-bucket challenge every morning, said Korniienko, 23, a computer programmer. You take one shower and you go out and you get sick, he added, suppressing a sneeze.
After months of grinding negotiations, officials from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union on Friday announced a last-ditch proposal to help Ukraine get through the winter, but the sides still appeared to be squabbling over the price Russia will charge Ukraine. Analysts said the plans may still be derailed.
The E.U. is eager to foster a deal, because continued disruptions in Russian gas shipments could extend the winter discomfort to Eastern European nations that are largely dependent on Russia for their supplies of natural gas. Most of Europe is as far north as Canada Minneapolis is at roughly the same latitude as southern France, and Kiev is level with Calgary so winters can be bitter. Natural gas is the most important fuel for heating their homes and providing hot water.
Energy experts and diplomats warn that Ukraine has not done enough to prepare for a season with severely limited gas supplies even as other European nations have been trying to stockpile the resource as a safety measure.
It is not going to be easy, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a Ukrainian television station this month. Freeze? No, we will not freeze. But it is not going to be warm, I warn you.
Russia seized Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in March and then backed a separatist insurgency in Ukraines east that has cost at least 3,500lives, according to U.N. estimates. The conflict has severely damaged infrastructure there.
As the ground fighting worsened over the summer, so did the confrontation over energy.
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Russias Gazprom and Ukraine are in a gas dispute as winter approaches