TIMELINE: Russian cuts gas to Ukraine in latest gas row

Thu Jan 1, 2009 11:49am GMT
 
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(Reuters) - The following is a chronology of the most serious recent gas rows between Russia and its ex-Soviet neighbors:

WINTER 2005-2006.

Russia and Ukraine had a serious clash on prices for the first time following the 2004 pro-Western "Orange Revolution" which swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power. Yushchenko has tried to withdraw Ukraine from Russia's sphere of influence.

A dispute over gas prices -- Ukraine then paid just $50 per 1,000 cubic meters, Gazprom wanted to charge $230 -- was complicated by accusations of corruption in the energy sector from Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Gazprom cut off supplies on January 1 2006, but turned them on again a day later. European consumers complained their supplies had been hit. Gazprom accused Ukraine of stealing gas from export pipelines and Kiev denied any such move.

Ukraine agreed to a price of $95 per tcm and the introduction of intermediary RosUkrEnergo, which soon became a source of conflict over future gas agreements.

WINTER 2006-2007

Belarus fought hard to keep Russian gas prices down. Minsk and Moscow came to an agreement just half an hour before a midnight deadline to cut off supplies. Belarus agreed to a doubled price of $100 per tcm.

The dispute escalated in the first days of 2007 and briefly affected Russian oil supplies to Poland and Germany along the Druzhba pipeline following a clash over oil duties and supplies between Moscow and Minsk.  Continued...

 

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