Russian product delivered into Ukraine`s natural gas transportation system to end an embargo on Europe cannot be transported onwards, officials at Ukraine`s Naftogaz Ukrainy energy company said Tuesday, dpa reported. "We did not accept it (the Russian gas,)" said Oleh Dubina, Naftohaz chairman, at a Kyiv press conference. "Had we done so we would have left four Ukrainian provinces [Odessa, Lugansk, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts of Ukraine - UNIAN]without gas of their own." 

The Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom on Tuesday morning increased pressure in its pipelines so that a volume of 76 million cubic metres of gas would move daily along a gas main crossing Ukraine for delivery to Moldova and other Balkan nations.

Low pressure in Ukraine`s gas pipeline system caused by a two-week Russian embargo made transfering onward the Tuesday Russian increase technically impossible, a Naftohaz official confirmed to dpa.

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The official asked not to be identified as he was not authorized to give comments to the media.

Naftogaz in a company statement accused the Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom of failing to inform Ukraine ahead of time the size and timing of the pressure increase, making it impossible for Naftogaz technicians to prepare for it.

Any Russian shipment in addition would require a new contract between Russia and Ukraine on gas deliveries, the statement said, as the last contract ran out at the same time the Russians imposed their embargo - on the last day of 2008.

dpa via Earth Times