Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom is supplying a steady, but reduced amount of natural gas to Europe via pipelines running through Ukraine. As of June 8th, Gazprom reported delivering 42.4 million cubic metres of gas per day through the Sudzha pumping station, a Gazprom representative told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The request for the Sokhranovka gas pumping station has been rejected,” the Gazprom representative added.
The transit line through Ukraine remains the sole route to supply Russian gas to western and central European countries. The pumping through Nord Stream has been fully halted.
Since May 2022, when GTSOU announced the suspension of transit to Europe via the Sokhranovka station due to force majeure – the company claimed it cannot exercise control over the Novopskov compressor station in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Russian gas supplies have been flowing through Ukraine in a reduced volume. The Russian gas holding, on the other hand, witnessed no reason to end pumping as before.
In Autumn 2022, Naftogaz of Ukraine petitioned the International Court of Arbitration against Gazprom, claiming about a late payment for gas transportation services through Ukrainian territory. Gavzprom CEO Alexey Miller replied at the time that the arbitration proceeding is illegitimate and that the Russian holding’s participation in the process is pointless. At the same time, Russia is considering imposing sanctions on Naftogaz if the Ukrainian company continues to engage in dishonest behaviour, rendering any future relations with it impossible.