Gazprom may reduce flow of gas via Ukraine

Russian energy giant Gazprom has threatened to reduce natural gas supplies through the last pipeline heading to Europe via Ukraine, saying the amount it’s supplying for Moldova is not ending up in the former Soviet republic.

Gazprom said Moldovagaz, the gas company of Europe’s poorest country, paid for part of its November flows of gas under its contract. It added that nearly 25 million cubic meters has been supplied this month but not paid for.

The Russian state-owned company had tweeted that if “the imbalance observed during the transit of gas to the Moldovan consumers across Ukraine continues,” Gazprom “will start reducing its gas supplies” through Ukraine starting Monday.

Both Moldova and Ukraine hit back at Gazprom, with Ukraine saying all supplies that Russia sent through the country were “fully transferred” to Moldova.

“This is not the first time that Russia resorts to using gas as a tool of political pressure,” said Olha Belkova of the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. “This is a gross manipulation of facts in order to justify the decision to further limit the volume of gas supplies to European countries.”

It’s the latest escalation after Russia has cut off most natural gas flows to Europe amid the war in Ukraine, which European leaders have called energy blackmail and Gazprom has blamed on maintenance and payment issues.

Besides the pipeline through Ukraine, one other pipeline is still bringing Russian gas beneath the Black Sea to Turkey.

Moldova relied heavily on Russian energy before the war and its Soviet-era energy systems remain interconnected with Ukraine.