KIEV, Nov. 21 - Ukraine will probably increase shipments of Russian natural gas to markets in Europe by 19% on the year to 80 billion cubic meters in 2016, the state gas shipper UkrTransGaz reported Monday.

The new forecast exceeds previous estimate made in September that the shipments would grow to 75 Bcm in 2016 from 67 Bcm in 2015.

“We expect that annual gas shipments will increase to 80 Bcm in 2016,” Maksim Beliavskiy, the head of UkrTransNafta press service, said. “This is 19% more than the last year.”