Ukraine receives first Russian gas since June cut

KIEV, Dec 9 (AFP): Energy-starved Ukraine said on Tuesday it had received the first Russian natural gas shipments since a politically charged price dispute saw Moscow cut off supplies to its Westward-leaning neighbour in June.
The announcement means that the war-torn nation of 45 million people should have enough power to heat homes through the bitter winter months.
Ukraine was forced to delay school openings by a month and postpone the launch of winter household heating due to its severe fuel shortages.
"Imports from Russia began two days earlier than planned," Ukraine's gas transport company Ukrtransgaz said in a statement.
A spokesman for Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom said the shipments resumed at 10:00 am Moscow time (0700 GMT).
The former Soviet republic received nearly half its gas from Russia prior to a revolution in February that ousted a Moscow-backed president and led the new government to sign up for closer ties with the EU.
The dramatic political shift out of Russia's orbit prompted Moscow to cancel the special rates it had offered Ukraine in the past -- more than doubling the price.
Kiev called the rate hike a form of "economic aggression" and refused to pay the extra amount.
It had also accumulated debts for earlier deliveries that Moscow had been willing to forgive until the February revolt.
But Russia demanded immediate payment for past debts and future deliveries following the change of leadership in Kiev.