KIEV (AFP)--Russian gas destined for Europe began flowing into Ukraine on Tuesday, a spokesman for Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz told AFP.
"Russian gas has begun arriving in Ukraine. It is the gas destined for Europe," Naftogaz spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky told AFP.
The European Commission also welcomed Russia's announcement that gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine have resumed, a spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.
It will take about 10 hours for the gas to get to the borders where the European Union observers are deployed to check the transit, Ferran Tarradellas, spokesman for Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said. A team at a metering station in Moscow might witness the supply resumption sooner, he added.
Russian gas giant OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) ordered a resumption Tuesday of gas supply to Europe, with a Gazprom official shown on television issuing the order by telephone to restart deliveries via Ukraine, AFP reported.
Europe has been crippled with gas disruptions for about a week, as Gazprom cut supplies to Ukraine, which is the main transit country for E.U.'s gas supplies from Russia.
Economic activities and everyday life have been heavily affected, especially in Eastern Europe, which is highly dependent on gas through Ukraine.
Russia agreed Monday to resume pumping gas after it signed a deal with Ukraine and the commission on the terms of the deployment of international observers, including some from both countries, to oversee the gas flow.