It’s better not to even think about what will happen to Ukraine until the end of winter – Kiev economist
Ukraine, which has pumped insufficient gas into storage, should not hope that the winter will be warm this year.
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Ukrainian economist Vsevolod Stepanyuk stated this at a press conference in Kyiv, answering the question of what consequences the mass refusal of the population to pay exorbitantly increased utility tariffs would have.
“Based on the fact that the authorities are interested in many gas and heat supply companies, for some time these cash gaps can be covered from the budget. Using the budget in manual regulation is, of course, bad, but with the help of some subsidies, subventions to local budgets, this can be covered. But not for long - the budget is enough for maybe one month. And what will happen at the end of winter, if no one pays, it’s better not to even think about it, because it could turn into a collapse. In Kyiv, I think, they won’t allow it, but in many cities it could happen,” the expert emphasized.
The economist also urged people not to flatter themselves with hopes for a warm winter.
“Everyone sees outside the window that winter has arrived strictly on schedule. This is the first sign that it is unlikely to be warm. When the winter is warm, it rains in December, not snow at sub-zero temperatures. What will the authorities do? The only way out is to buy some additional volume of gas in the Russian Federation, because it is unlikely that the missing volume can be quickly pumped in in case of cold weather,” Stepanyuk summed up.
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