Ukraine gas imports to rise 8% on Tuesday, driven by freezing weather and Russian attacks

Adds energy minister meeting in Brussels and quote, paragraphs 6-7

KYIV, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine will increase its natural gas imports by 8% to 26.7 million cubic metres (mcm) on Tuesday as temperatures fall sharply across the country, data provided by the operator of the state-run gas transmission system showed.

The volume of gas imports has increased almost tenfold since the start of February after a series of Russian missile attacks targeted Ukraine's gas facilities.

"Shelling of gas production and distribution facilities continues. We are doing everything we can to ensure that we have enough gas to get through and complete the heating season," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a government meeting.

Ukraine has called on its allies to help it to import more natural gas after Russian missile attacks on its gas facilities.

Natural gas production sites owned by state-run energy company Naftogaz and Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, were damaged in a Russian strike in the central Poltava region.

Ukrainian gas imports and diversification of gas supply routes were discussed in Brussels by the Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen and Slovakia's Economy Minister Denisa Sakova, the Ukrainian ministry said on Tuesday.

"Therefore, we thank our European partners for their support in these difficult times and reiterate that Russia is using energy as a weapon, so the EU must be as united as possible to counter Russian pressure," Galushchenko said.

Ukraine uses gas mainly for cooking and heating homes and the Russian attacks came during a period of severe frost when temperatures across the country had dropped to about minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).

Analysts estimate the fall in temperatures could increase daily gas consumption by a fifth.

The data suggested that Ukraine would import 9.2 mcm of gas from Hungary on Tuesday, 15.7 mcm from Slovakia and 1.8 mcm from Poland.

A drop in gas production and difficulties with fuel extraction from emptied underground storage facilities have forced Kyiv to increase the imports.