REUTERS
Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom increased the natural gas supplies to the temporarily occupied by pro-Russian militants territory of Donbas by 41% in 2016 from 2015, to 2.39 billion cubic meters (bcm), according to Gazprom reports for 2015 and 2016 and data of the state-run energy holding Naftogaz of Ukraine.
Thus, Russian gas supplies to Ukraine amounted to 2.39 bcm, according to the 2016 Gazprom report. Whereas deliveries to the uncontrolled territory of Ukraine totaled 1.7 bcm in 2015, based on the 2015 Gazprom report, and data of the Naftogaz of Ukraine.
Read alsoNaftogaz warns gas price for population may rise by another 40%As UNIAN reported earlier, Naftogaz of Ukraine has stopped gas purchases from Gazprom since November 2015 and switched to imports from the European Union.
Even before that, on February 20, 2015, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia started supplying gas to Donbas "due to the request of the energy companies of the unrecognized republics."
Read alsoBypassing Ukraine: Gazprom to inject EUR 1.4 bln into Nord Stream 2 AGJune 26, 2015, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller stated that the Naftogaz's debt for gas supplies to the occupied Donbas amounting to 704 mcm totaled $212 million.
In mid-May 2016, in response to a new statement by the Russian company, Naftogaz reported that the Ukrainian state-run energy holding had not received gas from Gazprom at the entry points to the Ukrainian gas transport system, located on the territory beyond the Ukrainian government control.
This statement was made in response to Gazprom's demand to pay $0.67 billion for gas, supposedly delivered to consumers in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the period from February 2015 to April 2016.