Moscow cuts coal to Kiev

Russia has begun to restrict coal supplies to Ukraine, Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn told parliament yesterday, days after the Kremlin threatened to punish Kiev for a power blackout of Russian-annexed Crimea.

Demchyshyn said pro-Russian separatists who control coal mines in eastern Ukraine had also halted coal supplies. He said Kiev had one month of its own coal supplies left and was seeking alternative supplies from South Africa.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday that Russia might cut coal supplies to punish Ukraine for what he said was its deliberate refusal to help rebuild power lines to Crimea. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in March last year, plunging relations between the one-time allies into crisis.