Nikolov said gas deliveries to consumers were still guaranteed for at least a month. Bulgaria also

reports the head of the fire safety department at the interior ministryNikolai Nikolov as having said

ministry official Nikolai Nikolov said that 12 children were among the victims of the blaze.He said

SOFIA/ WARSAW( Reuters)-Russian energy giant Gazprom on Wednesday halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for failing to pay for gas in roubles, the Kremlin's toughest response yet to the crippling sanctions imposed by the West for the invasion of Ukraine. Poland and Bulgaria are the first countries to have their gas cut off by Europe's main supplier since the Feb.... 24 invasion of Ukraine that has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of a broader conflict."

Most European countries have denounced the demand and stuck to their previous method of paying for gas from Russia.... Other large European gas consumers like Germany and Italy haven’t been affected so far. European officials and analysts see Moscow’s move as a way to exert further pressure on Europe, which, before the war in Ukraine, sourced some 40% of its gas from Russia.... The European Commission is likely to make a proposal next week, although several member states, including Hungary and

We will not hesitate to act further against individuals and organisations attempting to deceive people about this misguided war.” The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015.... To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here.... If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page....

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the announcement by Gazprom “ is yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail.” The Greek government was to hold its own emergency meeting in Athens.... And Russia only has limited facilities to export super chilled liquefied gas by ship. Russian gas made up some 45% of Poland's overall gas usage until the cutoff.... Poland has worked for many years to secure supplies from other countries. Several years ago, the

Following peace talks on Tuesday, Russia promised that it would de-escalate operations near Kyiv and Chernihiv to" increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations ”.... Recommended Ukraine war news: Nato left defeated and divided Why has Russia invaded Ukraine?... He said: “ We made every effort to engage Russia in dialogue....

Britain has helped lead the world in exposing Kremlin disinformation, and this latest batch of sanctions hits the shameless propagandists who push out Putin’s fake news and narratives.“ We will keep on going with more sanctions to ramp up the pressure on Russia and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine.... On 9 March, a Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital in Mariupol, killing at least three and injuring 17.？... He is leading the siege of Mariupol....