Ukraine hopes to further reduce its dependence on Russian gas after announcing an agreement that will see Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell search for shale gas in the east of the country.
Predictions suggest up to 20 billion cubic meters of gas could be produced annually through the agreement, although doubts have been raised over how realistic these figures are.
The $10 billion deal, signed Jan. 24, comes as Ukraine explores multiple alternative sources of gas and cuts gas imports from Russia this year to a projected 24.5 billion cubic meters, down from 27 billion cubic meters last year.
