Russia`s gas export monopoly will most likely have to more than double gas prices for Ukraine from 2009 as it pays more for gas imports from Central Asia, chief executive Alexei Miller said on Friday, according to Reuters.

Miller told a news conference prices would most likely rise above $400 per 1,000 cubic metres from $179.5 this year.

Gazprom supplies Europe with a quarter of its gas needs, mainly via Ukraine, and its previous gas pricing disputes with Kiev led to serious disruptions in supplies to both Ukraine and Europe.