OREANDA-NEWS. December 16, 2015. "During the heating season, Ukraine will save an additional sum of US\\$ 2 billion, we used to pay to the Russian Gazprom for which Russia bought tanks and supplied weapons and their mercenaries for the military aggression against Ukraine", said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk in 10 minutes TV program.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that there had been debates that allegedly the government's energy reform wouldn’t have a result and that there wouldn’t be enough gas in our storages to endure the winter: "Our achievement is every day we consume gas by 25% less than last year. Thus, every day we pay for gas by US\\$ 11 million less".

"There were aired threats that we would not endure the winter and would freeze to death, as Russia was to turn off gas, while we had no other source of supply. Not to mention the price of gas, which was US\\$ 500 per thousand cubic meters. Now we have got rid of the Russian gas domination", said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

He stressed that Ukraine buys gas from European companies at a twofold price - an average of US\\$ 250 per thousand cubic meters.

"We have filled our gas storage facilities. We have paid off the debts. And we have filed a lawsuit against Russia in court for the unfair gas contract and for the unfair contract on natural gas transit via the territory of Ukraine", explained the Head of Government.

"We were intimidated that through the reform of the energy sector and the introduction of balanced market tariffs the people wouldn’t have heat in the house and wouldn’t have an opportunity to pay by these tariffs. We introduced a program of energy subsidies, in the success of which very few believed, but which has become real," he emphasized.

Already 5 million of Ukrainian households, almost 15 million citizens obtain direct assistance from the state "to pay the market and well-balanced tariffs, if the Ukrainian family needs that": "And whoever earns a lot, whoever has a large house, whoever has high income, must learn to save and pay himself, instead of at the expense of the poor".