13:03, 24 January 2019

Kadyrov reproaches Russian regions for making noise around gas debts

Ramzan Kadyrov. Photo: REUTERS/Said Tsarnayev

The decision of the court of Grozny that obliged to write off the gas debts does not mention the sum of 9 billion roubles, said the head of Chechnya. He explained the republic's debts by two military campaigns, worn-out networks and problems with consumers' accounting; he has also called on Russian regions to solve their problems with gas debts without mentioning Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Gazprom appealed against the decision of the Grozny court; and the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) upheld the Gazprom's refusal to write off the gas debts of residents of Chechnya.

According to Ramzan Kadyrov, the court decision "provoked a stormy reaction," the website of the head and government of Chechnya reports.

The news about the writing-off the gas debts caused distrust among residents of Chechnya, who recalled that the authorities are using all methods to enforce debtors to pay their utility bills. According to local residents, gas companies conduct regular raids in Chechnya to collect debts and disconnect debtors from gas supplies. At the same time, on November 28, 2018, on the local TV, a Chechen woman publicly apologized to gas network workers for trying to prevent them from disconnecting gas for debts.

"Our utility bills are collected constantly ... Thus, where does this astronomical sum come from?" asked Lechi, a former employee of one of republic's agencies.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 24, 2019 at 11:49 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.