"They did not pay so we have followed this matter up to the Russian Ministry of Defence and we are negotiating the matter," Betty Dawson, spokeswoman for Kosovo electrical company (KEK), told AFP.

Last week the last Russian peacekeepers departed Kosovo, ending their four-year mission in the troubled Serbian province. The troops however did not pay KEK their outstanding bill for services since they came to the province in June 1999.

Kosovo's energy company is supervised by the UN mission (UNMIK) here and still faces constant problems in supplying the province with electricity, mainly due to outdated equipment.

"They owe money, they need to pay, they will be pursued for that payment," Simon Haselock, spokesman for UNMIK, said.

Some 650 Russian soldiers served as part of the NATO-led KFOR mission in Kosovo and were largely in charge of protecting areas inhabited by minority Serbs in the mainly Albanian-populated province.

KFOR however shrugged off responsibility for the debt, saying it was a matter to be dealt with by the Russian authorities.

"This is an issue KEK has to take up with the Russian authorities...we're disappointed that people have left and not paid their debt, obviously," Gary Bannister-Green, KFOR's spokesman said.

Russian officials have said that high costs prompted their decision to pull out the troops, with the Balkan deployment costing Moscow 26.9 million dollars (23.6 million euros) annually.

Kosovo was brought under UN and NATO administration in June 1999 after a three-month NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.

WAR.WIRE