Ukraine Shuts off Flow of Russian Gas to Europe at Donbas

In a statement, the operator of the gas transmission system in Ukraine (GTSOU) announced its decision to suspend transit operations due to security reasons and “force majeure”. 

Ukraine shut off this Wednesday the flow of natural gas exported from Russia to Europe from a station located in Donbas, now controlled by Russian forces. In a statement, the operator of the gas transmission system in Ukraine (GTSOU) announced its decision to suspend transit operations due to security reasons and “force majeure”. 

RELATED:

No Agreement Between Hungary, EU Over Russian Oil Embargo

According to the note, the company blocks the flow of gas from the Sokhranivka connection point, located in the eastern Ukrainian region of Lugansk, in the conflict-ridden Donbas area, which is currently under the control of the Russian Army.

Kiev has also demanded that Russia's state-owned Gazprom - which holds a monopoly on gas pipelines and Russian gas sent to Europe – shift gas volumes to the transit point in the northern city of Sudzha, in territory that Ukraine controls.

Russia's Gazprom, for its part, maintains in a statement that such a reorganization would be “technically impossible” and adds that there is no reason for the interruption of the flow.

For its part, the European Commission considers that this cut may affect the transit of gas to European Union (EU) member countries, and furthermore, it qualifies that it does not represent an immediate problem of security of supply.

The Sokhranivka metering station handles up to 32.6 million cubic meters per day, or about a third of the Russian gas flowing to Europe through Ukraine.

Russia and its state-owned gas giant Gazprom account for more than 40 percent of gas imports to the 27 countries that make up the EU bloc, via three major pipelines: Nord Stream 1, which runs through the Baltic Sea, another pipeline that crosses Ukraine (Droujba or Amistad), and a third through Belarus (Yamal).

Since the beginning of the Russian operation in its western neighbor, Europe has been divided over sanctioning the energy it receives from the Eurasian country, given the EU's heavy dependence on Russian supplies.

Ukraine: Luhansk authorities announce ope--