REUTERS
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced at a meeting with regional governors during his working visit to Chernivtsi on October 3 that Ukraine had already accumulated $1.3 billion needed for the heating season, according to the Cabinet's press service.
At the same time, the prime minister instructed the regional governors to ensure the timely launch of the heating season.
"If there is no heating, people will not pay the bills. The second thing is that you should collect money timely. If there is no money – there will be no gas either."
The Ukrainian government aims at getting rid of dependence on Russian gas, and 70% of gas for Ukrainian needs is purchased in Europe now, Yatsenyuk said.
The prime minister recalled that the government had set a reduced price of UAH 3,600 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for households if they consume up to 200 cubic meters and the gas is used for heating.
Yatsenyuk called on the regional governors to ensure that households are also provided with subsidies.