KYIV, Dec 21 – The Naftogaz Group in 2018 due to debts under public service obligations (PSO) and debts of regional gas suppliers for balancing services to Ukrtransgaz has negative net cash flow and will enter 2019 with the smallest amount of cash on the balance sheet, which complicates purchase of gas in the peak of the heating season, national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrayiny CEO Andriy Kobolev has said.

"In general, we see that in 2019, we are facing a liquidity shortage of UAH 35.2 billion," he wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, projects for the development of gas production and modernization of the gas transmission system (GTS) are also under threat, since only Ukrgazvydobuvannia needs no less than UAH 38 billion next year.