KIEV, Sept. 29 – The Naftogaz Ukrayiny national oil and gas company has paid for 9 billion cubic meters of gas out of the at least 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas in Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said.

"We plan that we will be able to purchase and pay for 16.5 billion cubic meters by the start of the heating season [Oct. 15]," Tymoshenko told the press in Kiev on Monday.