MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says Russia will supply electricity to separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine after the Ukrainian government cut off the power because of unpaid bills.

Ukraine has announced that it will stop supplying power to the rebel-controlled part of the Luhansk region because of mounting debts, and local media reported the supply was cut off close to midnight Monday.

Boris Gryzlov, the Russian envoy mediating talks between Russia-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government, said Tuesday that the Russian government has decided to help supply Luhansk with electricity.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the decision as a humanitarian mission but would not disclose how the power supply will be organized in this Ukrainian region that borders Russia.

Fighting between the rebels and the Ukrainian government has killed 9,900 people since 2014.