Ukraine denies withholding Russian gas

KYIV: Ukraine denied an assertion by Russian state gas company Gazprom on Tuesday that Ukraine had withheld gas meant for Moldova, and accused Russia of using gas as a political tool to limit supplies to Europe.

Accusing Ukraine of keeping volumes of gas that were destined for Moldova, Gazprom said it could start reducing gas supplies to Moldova via Ukraine from November 28.

Ukrainians braced for a winter with little or no power in several areas including the capital where temperatures have already dropped below freezing as relentless Russian strikes crippled the country’s energy capacity.

President Volodymyr Zelensky urged people to conserve power, particularly in hard-hit areas such as Kyiv, Vinnytsia in the southwest, Sumy in the north and Odesa on the Black Sea. Moscow’s response to military setbacks in recent weeks has included a barrage of missile strikes against power facilities, and Zelensky said half of the country’s power capacity had been knocked out by Russian rockets.

Residents stand near the work of renowned graffiti artist Banksy on the wall of destroyed building in the village of Horenka.