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Risks of disruption of gas supplies to Ukraine’s Donbas in winter still quite high

Due to the de-facto blockade of the territory by official Kiev the window of opportunity to prepare the region for the winter season is closing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson says

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/. The risks of disruption of gas supplies to Ukraine’s Donbas region in winter remain quite high, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson with Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"Due to the de-facto blockade of the territory by official Kiev, that has been going on since June, the window of opportunity to prepare the region for the winter season is closing. The risks of disruption of gas supplies in the Donbass remain very high, and there is no guarantee that the Ukrainian government will pay for gas deliveries in this part of the country," the diplomat said.

"UN World Food Program states that the food security situation in the conflict zone has significantly degraded and in the coming months it will continue to deteriorate due to a general increase in food prices and the reduction of opportunities for earnings. The blockade of deliveries of food and medicines to the south-east of the country that was created by the Ukrainian government only aggravates the complicated situation in that area," she said.

The diplomat stressed that Russia "continues to consistently provide direct humanitarian assistance to the needy population in the south-east of Ukraine.

In the period from August 2014 to present Russia has sent 37 humanitarian convoys with a total weight of 45,432 tons, she said.