The Mistral-class helicopter carrier Sevastopol, is seen at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, western France, May 15, 2014. The Sevastopol is one of two Mistral-class warships ordered by the Russian Navy. REUTERS/S
The Mistral-class helicopter carrier Sevastopol, is seen at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, western France, May 15, 2014. The Sevastopol is one of two Mistral-class warships ordered by the Russian Navy. Reuters/Stephane Mahe

Ukraine will soon be experiencing bouts of electricity shortages after Russia has stopped sending coal supplies to the country. Meantime, France has announced delaying the delivery of Russia's powerful Mistral warship "until further notice." Russia has threatened to sue France for failure to heed to the supply agreement.

Dmitry Marunich, a co-chairman of the Ukrainian Energy Strategies Fund, told the 112 Ukraine television channel Russia's the decision to suspend coal delivery comes at a time wherein the country has only "little chance to find other sources to substitute for it." DTEK, Ukraine's biggest private energy company, said the suspension of supplies was unexpected. In a statement, the company said it is investigating the reasons and circumstances that led to the suspension. "The company received no official notification about the delay in shipments," it said.

Yury Prodan, Ukraine's minister of energy and coal industry, said the reasons for the suspension are sure to be not related to payments. "I do not know why but I can say that the reasons are not economic. Both DTEK and Centrenergo pay for coal in due time," he told the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper.

Marunich said Ukraine's looming winter is just around the corner. The country bristling with tensions with Russia has no time and money to sign coal contracts with other suppliers in other countries. "We must not let it happen," he said, otherwise Ukrainians will experience shortage in electricity supplies and rotating power cuts. Earlier, Ukraine had signed a supply deal with South Africa in a bid to slowly extract itself from supply dependencies on Russia as well as to boost reserves. However, the SA supplier discontinued shipments early in November, citing political instability concerns.

Meantime, as Russia tries to strangle Ukraine, French President Francois Hollande has announced the anticipated delivery of the first of the two powerful Mistral assault warships has been moved indefinitely. In a statement, Mr Hollande explained that the "current situation in eastern Ukraine still does not allow for the delivery" of the vessels France has built for Russia. The decision on whether to grant the export licence needed to deliver the ship to Russia therefore has been placed "until further notice," the statement added.