SEVASTOPOL, March 13 (AVN) - Ukraine has reduced power supplies to units of the Russian Black Sea again, Colonel Viktor Kutugin, the head of the fleet's naval engineering service, told the Military News Agency.
The situation deteriorated after the Ukrainian government issued a regulation on securement of the payments for gas, heat and power supplies. After that local authorities started to cut off the fleet's units, craft, institutions and enterprises from power and water sources.
The reasoning of the Ukrainian party for the severe measures imposed is that the Black Sea Fleet owes RUR140m (USD4,912,280) for utilities. Still, the Ukrainian debt to Russia exceeds that sum considerably.
Under a mutual agreement, the functions of controller of the fleet's debt are given over to the Ukrainian Continental & Co, but it cannot perform its functions properly. The company is also unable to carry out coal supplies, so the existing stores will last the fleet only for a week. The tensest situation is in the Gvardeyskoye Air Force garrison, where the total time of power supply breaks makes 12 hours per day, Kutugin said.
In order to improve the situation, Russia and Ukraine should effect offset payments, write off the fleet's debt and start address power supplies to its units, Kutugin added.