KIEV, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline thread damaged in an explosion last week, will be put into operation in early July once the repairs are finished, the deputy head of Ukraine's Naftogaz Alexander Todiichuk told reporters Tuesday.
"In early July, the pipeline will begin its work," Todiichuk said, adding that the repairs are underway as planned.
He stressed that, despite the damage to the site, Naftogaz adjusted the operations of the transmission system, avoiding gas transit disruptions through Ukraine.
The Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline, which pumps natural gas from Russia to Ukraine and further onward to export destinations all over Europe, from Slovakia to Italy, was hit by an explosion near the town of Lohvitsa last week. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said the explosion was caused by a fracture in a pipe leading to a subsequent gas leak and fire.
