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Ukrainian minister says it's time to resume energy supply to Crimea

Measures are already undertaken to provide Crimea with power

KIEV, November 30. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Mining Industry Volodymyr Demchishin said there is need to resume the supply of electricity to Crimea, which was interrupted due to Ukraine ceasing the deliveries of electric power because of explosions on its power transmission lines.

"I think it would be right to commence energy supplies to Crimea," Demchishin said.

In addition, according to Demchishin, the current situation with the power outage in the Kherson region creates a real threat of disaster. "With the onset of cold weather the situation with energy supplies in Ukrainebecame more complicated. The other day half of the Kherson region was disconnected. There is a threat of disaster," the Ministe said.

As for resuming the supply of coal from Donbas, according to Demchishin, it could resume during the day. However, it is directly connected to resuming supplies to Crimea, the Minister explained. "[The supply of - TASS] Coal from the Donetsk People's Republic could resume today. This issue is related to the resumption of supplies to the Crimea. There is a connection between these issues," Demchishin said.

Crimea was left without electricity supplies at night of November 22 after Ukraine stopped delivering electric power because of explosions on its power transmission lines.

Earlier Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Ukraine’s cutting power supply to Crimea is diversion and the power bridge construction should be expedited.

"The region was left without electricity essentially as a result of energy manipulations and acts of Ukraine’s authorities. Speaking in legal terms, this is subversion, that is, destruction of industrial facilities, which actually pursues terroristic objectives," Medvedev said.

Such acts left Crimean residents without heat and electricity. "They jeopardized life and health of many people, including social facilities. Therefore there could be no other political assessments," the prime minister said.

Measures are already undertaken to provide Crimea with power. "Acceleration of power bridge construction across the Kerch Strait is probably the most important in this situation," he added.