The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday amended the Customs Code (bill No. 3074) legalizing transactions reverse natural gas backhaul.

An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the document was backed by 241 MPs.

Naftogaz Ukrainy has welcomed the adoption of the bill. The company in the past years campaigned for operation in this mode with gas companies of Central and Eastern Europe. The company has agreed this with Hungary's FGSZ.

"In theory we will be able to receive gas without physical movement of gas," MP from Petro Poroshenko Bloc Viktor Pynzenyk said.

He said that the amendments would allow saving large funds on transit and open a way to the full refusal from supplies of Russian gas for Ukraine.

According to the document, Article 232 of the Customs Code of Ukraine was expanded with part 2: "Customs control and customs clearance for volumes of natural gas on natural gas backhaul transactions are carried out in line with the declared customs regime… and the natural gas acceptance and transfer certificate signed between operators of gas transport systems of Ukraine and neighbor country and/or the operator of the gas transport system and the operator of the gas underground storage facility containing information on the volumes of natural gas for backhaul transactions."