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Kiev authorities drive Ukraine into energy crisis as winter is about to set in

ZAMYATINA Tamara

Shortly after the latest gas war over Kiev’s reluctance to pay Moscow for the previously supplied fuel Ukraine is sliding into a coal scandal

MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. Shortly after the latest gas war over Kiev’s reluctance to pay Moscow for the previously supplied fuel Ukraine is sliding into a coal scandal. A high-profile deal for the import of coal from South Africa through the London-registered company Steel Mont Trading Ltd. has fallen through with a crash.

After the first 250,000 tons of the overall contracted amount of one million tons travelled a distance of 10,000 kilometers to have reached Ukraine Kiev stopped paying. Steel Mont Trading Ltd, which purchased the coal for Ukraine with a loan taken especially for the purpose, had to enter into a very unpleasant process of settling relations with the lender bank. Also, the company refused to dispatch any more shipments of coal from South Africa so as to avoid reputation losses.

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