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Minsk, January 5 (Interfax) - Transit of Russian natural gas to Poland through Belarus has been increased by 26 million cubic meters to 109.5 million cubic meters a day, the Belarusian gas transportation company Beltransgaz told Interfax on Monday.

"In line with the Gazprom central dispatch department's notification, the shipment of Russian natural gas toward Poland has been increased by 26 million cubic meters a day," a Beltransgaz spokesperson said.

"In particular, the amount of gas shipped through the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline owned by Gazprom has been increased by 20 million cubic meters a day, and that shipped through the Beltransgaz system by 6 million cubic meters of gas a day," the spokesperson said.

Thus, "the daily transit of Russian gas toward Poland through the Yamal-Europe system currently amounts to 96 million cubic meters a day and that through the Beltransgaz system 13.5 million cubic meters," he said.

It was reported earlier that gas transit through Belarus was increased on January 1, 2009. Gazprom did not tie this move to the gas cutoff to Ukraine the same day.

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