Battling to defuse political opposition to raising household gas prices at the start of winter,

Battling to defuse political opposition to raising household gas prices at the start of winter, President Poroshenko promised Monday that his government will “expand the subsidy program…so not a single person, not a single poor person, not a single unprotected family feels the increase in tariffs in their own budgets.” The government said it negotiated the IMF down from a 60% hike – to full parity with gas market prices – to the 23.5% hike that starts Nov. 1. Almost half of Ukraine’s population receive gas price subsidies because they live in poorly insulated housing built in the Soviet era when piped gas was virtually free.