The city of Dobrich in north-eastern Bulgaria could become the first Bulgarian "victim" of the Russian-Ukraine natural gas dispute that cut off all supplies of Russian natural gas to Bulgaria and the rest of the Balkans from 3.30am on January 6 2009.

Hours after gas supplies to Bulgaria were halted by Russia, the Black Sea Technology Company AD Varna, which distributes natural gas to Dobrich, told Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily that all supplies of natural gas to the city would be halted by 10am on January 6 2009.

The company supplies 4700 individuals and 739 companies. All schools, kindergartens and hospitals in the city rely on natural gas for heating. This could well prompt school pupils to be sent home if headmasters fail to find alternative fuel, Dnevnik said.

Dobrich city hall already issued a warning letter to commercial consumers to have their installations in order should natural gas supplies be cut off so as to avoid any accidents.

The city hall has called a meeting to discuss measures. A similar meeting on a national level has been called by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev in Sofia. Bulgaria has no access to alternative pipelines - like Turkey for example - and can only rely on its own reserves in the village of Chiren. These can last for no more than a month with decreased consumption.

Turkey, by contrast, has raised supplies of Russian gas delivered via the Blue-Stream pipeline which passes under the Black Sea to 48 million cu m per day from a previous 40 million, and would use liquid natural gas sources as well as natural gas stores.

Greece can also rely on supplies coming from Turkey. Bulgaria, on the other hand, cannot depend on supplies from Turkey and is currently in negotiations for building pipeline connections with Greece.

Macedonia is also in a difficult situation since the country depends on Bulgarian deliveries of Russian natural gas.