KIEV, Feb. 20 – The debt owed by the militant-controlled areas of Donbas for gas amounts to some UAH 7.5 billion and UAH 3.5 billion for electricity, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said in an interview with Focus magazine published on Friday.

"Crimea pays on time and Donbas has a large debt," the minister said.

He said that each month the sum of the debt for electricity grows by UAH 700-800 million, and the National Commission of Ukraine for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation had adopted resolution No. 158 on February 2 to restrict payments to generating facilities in the “antiterrorist“ operation (ATO) zone which are not under the control of the Ukrainian authorities.