You're reading: Putin orders help for Ukrainian city of Henichesk with gas supplies

YAROSLAVL – Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to provide aid in the form of natural gas supplies to the Ukrainian city of Henichesk again, like last winter.

“We need to help. Do the same thing  (that was done last winter),” he said in response to the relevant request by Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov.

“It is, of course, necessary to establish a financial discipline in relations with our neighbors,” the president said.

Putin asked Aksyonov whether the Chernomorneftegaz company is completing the connection to the gas mains. Aksyonov confirmed that it is.

After a State Council presidium meeting in Yaroslavl Aksyonov came up to the president and told him that the residents of the Henichesk city and district had again asked Russia to supply natural gas.

“The situation there is close to a humanitarian disaster, last year’s situation when people were left without heating is exacerbating,” he said.

Aksyonov recalled that last winter the freezing city was supplied with gas and heating at Putin’s behest.

“Today the situation is as critical. With last year’s supplies it ran up a debt of 18 million rubles, the debt has not been repaid yet. But since the situation there is critical, we ask for your permission to ensure such supplies,” the Crimean leader said.

In early January of this year Putin ordered to work through the issue of possible gas supplies from Russia to Henichesk, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, at its mayor’s request, because of severe frosts there. In all, over 33,000 cubic meters of natural gas were delivered to Henichesk from January 4 to 11, Chernomorneftegaz said.