The human side of freezing

The lines to buy electric space heaters at department stores in Sarajevo on Wednesday were at least 200 meters long, and as supplies dwindled, fights broke out among panicked shoppers struggling to find ways to keep warm after Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and Ukraine responded by cutting off supplies to Europe. Meanwhile, temperatures on Wednesday night dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

On Thursday, stores raised the prices of any remaining electric heaters by 50 percent.

For Bosnians, it is a dim reminder of the wartime situation.

All of Bosnia's gas comes from Russia via Ukraine, Hungary and Serbia.

Across Central Europe, Southeastern Europe and parts of Western Europe, external page gas supplies have been cut. While those lucky enough to have reserves are making do, at least for a couple of days, those like Bosnia who have no reserves have been suffering since Tuesday.

Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Greece have reported a total halt of Russian gas supplies via Ukraine. Italy has received only 10 percent of expected supplies, according to the external page BBC.

In Sarajevo, people sit huddled around space heaters (if they are lucky enough to have one) and televisions, anxiously awaiting any news about a resolution to the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. As of Thursday morning, they were disappointed, learning only that Brussels has wagged an admonishing finger at Moscow and Kiev, urging them politely to settle the long-standing dispute. In all likelihood, most here think, it will only be when strategic reserves run out in Western Europe that a more forceful tone will be adopted.

In Varna, Bulgaria, angry residents left without central heating protested outside the Russian consulate, chanting "Stop Putin's gas war," external page Reuters reported. In Serbia, Orthodox Christmas was a grim, cold affair, and Serbs are likely wondering why their long-time perceived allies, the Russians, have allowed this to happen.

Russia gas giant Gazprom reportedly sat down to talks with its Ukrainian counterpart late on Wednesday in Moscow, but no details of those talks are available. So far, the only thing that seems to have been accomplished is for both parties to acknowledge that the situation is critical. Gas executives from Ukraine and Russia are due to meet in Brussels today (Thursday) as part of the EU's effort to resolve the dispute and restart gas supplies to Europe.

In the meantime, figuring out who to blame has been the name of the game. Writing for ISN Security Watch on Wednesday, CSS expert Matthew Hulbert put the dispute into perspective. Russia accuses Ukraine of refusing to pay its fees and has cut off gas to "make up the difference," but in the process has cut off Western Europe-bound exports via Ukraine. Ukraine, for its part, denies the accusations but refuses to allow a price increase. Hulbert says the likely truth is a combination and that "intermediaries in the Russo-Ukrainian gas trade do little to improve transparency, but a great deal to line RosUkrEnergo’s pockets by exploiting arbitrage opportunities from Russian and Turkmen gas transiting the country."

While many are optimistic that gas will be restored by the weekend, here in Bosnia, a freezing pessimism rules the day, with mobile phone calls at a high among people checking in on friends with children, the elderly and the sick to make sure that they are coping well enough. Day care centers have closed down, while primary and secondary schools are thankfully on holiday break, and the newest additions to the office worker's uniform – a heavy blanket. And all eyes are on the television in the hope, however slim, that today's talks Brussels will bear fruit.