Russia-Ukraine row over Crimea escalates as Moscow cuts coal to Kiev

KIEV (Reuters) - Russia has begun to restrict coal supplies to Ukraine, Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn told parliament on Friday, days after the Kremlin threatened to punish Kiev for a power blackout of Russian-annexed Crimea.

Demchyshyn said pro-Russian separatists who control coal mines in eastern Ukraine had also halted coal supplies. He said Kiev had one month of its own coal supplies left and was seeking alternative supplies from South Africa.