Russia

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Saturday denied accusations by Russian gas export giant Gazprom that Kiev may not be able to pay its energy bill this month due to a cash crunch. "We -- Ukraine -- are clearly and confidently managing our financial life during the crisis," the Interfax news agency quoted her as saying. Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller said Friday that Ukraine had cut back on purchases of Russian gas since mid-December and appeared to be facing "serious problems with payment." But the Ukranian prime minister said: "Such statements have been made at the end of every month for at least ... Read Full Story

The head of Russian gas giant Gazprom said Friday that Ukraine had cut back on purchases of Russian gas since mid-December and appeared to be facing serious cash problems. "Ukraine is experiencing serious problems with payment," Alexei Miller said on Russia's Vesti channel in comments carried by the Ria-Novosti news agency. Ukraine has until January 11 to pay for gas, according to Gazprom, which has cut off supplies to the country over unpaid bills repeatedly in the past. "We are hearing and seeing that Ukraine is experiencing very, very serious problems in paying for supplies of Russian gas for December," Miller said. "We estimate ... Read Full Story

TBILISI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Georgia said on Thursday it had agreed to open a mountain pass on the border with Russia, in a first sign of a possible thaw in relations between the two ex-Soviet nations since their August 2008 war. "According to our preliminary verbal agreement with the Russian side, the Verkhny Lars checkpoint will open in early March," Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze told a news conference. A spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was preparing a statement on the issue. The pass, located some 30 km (20 miles) south of the Russian city of Vladikavkaz, links it with the Georgian ... Read Full Story

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday ordered a one fifth cut to the staff of the 1.4 million strong Interior Ministry after a series of scandals involving the police. If implemented, the reform could affect at least 280,000 people and would amount to one of the most ambitious reforms of Russia's bloated bureaucracy since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. In a presidential decree, Medvedev ordered a 20 percent cut to the Interior Ministry's staff -- which includes the police, interior ministry troops, investigators and civilian officials -- by Jan 1, 2012, the Kremlin said. "A huge amount of complaints ... Read Full Story

KIEV (AFP) -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Saturday denied accusations by Russian gas export giant Gazprom that Kiev may not be able to pay its energy bill this month due to a cash crunch. "We -- Ukraine -- are clearly and confidently managing our financial life during the crisis," the Interfax news agency quoted her as saying. Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller said Friday that Ukraine had cut back on purchases of Russian gas since mid-December and appeared to be facing "serious problems with payment." But the Ukranian prime minister said: "Such statements have been made at the end of every month ... Read Full Story