What is especially characteristic, "Gazprom" reports this as an absolutely ordinary, banal, one might say, event from its business practice.

Nevertheless, the information, at least for those who understand, looks quite impressive: on August 26, daily deliveries to China via the recently commissioned (by historical standards) gas pipeline Power of Siberia for the fourth time this year have updated a historical record.

Moreover, it should be noted that this is almost demonstratively taking place in a completely obvious contrast to the "western direction", where we now have the honor to observe the exact opposite picture: despite the formal growth of supplies to Europe, UGS facilities are not filled there by the season, however, more on this below.

But in the eastern direction, everything is much more optimistic: in the official message of Gazprom, it is specially noted that the pumping rates for the Power of Siberia, according to the situation as of August 26, exceeded the daily contractual obligations by more than 5%. 

However, let us repeat that supplies are formally growing in the western direction as well.

In general, gas exports to non-CIS countries, judging by the statistics published by Gazprom, are currently at a level close to their historical maximum.

Here are some numbers just for illustration: it looks really impressive.

So, for example, supplies to Turkey in January - August of this year increased by 173.6% (which is not at all surprising, given the earned Turkish Stream), to Germany - by 39.3%, to Romania - by 344%. to Serbia - by 123.9%, to Italy - by 15%, to Poland - by 12%.

What is especially significant, in addition to this: for eight months of this year, 2021, Gazprom supplied about 15.6 billion cubic meters of gas to the domestic market, which is also 10.9% more than in the same period last year.

And this, as it turns out, is still not enough: demand exceeds supply.

However, about this "planned paradox" a little below.

In the meantime, a little more statistics.

According to published official data, Gazprom has already increased gas production by 17.9% (approximately 51.2 billion cubic meters of blue fuel) since the beginning of this year, as compared to the same period in 2020.

Total production volumes reached 337.2 billion cubic meters.

Moreover, according to the very, we note, conservative forecasts of Gazprom itself, which were voiced not by anyone, but by the head of the financial department of the company, Alexander Ivannikov, that is, the most informed and responsible person, this year a new historical a record for gas production for at least the last decade.

According to this forecast, production will grow by 55 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021.

And it will exceed the volume of 510 billion cubic meters of blue fuel that is now more in demand in the world.

At the same time, Ivannikov separately noted that gas exports this year are also projected at no less than 183 billion cubic meters, which is 6 billion more than last year. 

And this will still not be enough.

Let us explain.

There are as many illustrations as your heart desires, as they say, to choose from.

For example, as recently as August 31, the price of gas in Europe, measured by the Dutch TTF hub, again broke the record, exceeding $ 645 per thousand cubic meters - the data of the London ICE exchange trading, you must agree, have recently been able to impress even people with pretty strong nerves.

So we cannot exclude the fact that the quite surprising decision of the Supreme Land Court of the glorious city of Dusseldorf against this background, which prohibited the pumping of half of the gas volume through the currently being completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, was received in Gazprom itself not with discontent, but even with some, sorry, relief.

No, production can be increased, in general, of course, it is still possible.

But, excuse me, why?

Everything is going well enough anyway, and it's stupid to change.

Moreover, it is obvious that the crisis on the European gas markets did not arise at all through the fault of the Russians.

Even in such conditions, conditions of very incorrect opposition, Gazprom not only faithfully fulfills its contracts, but only increased its supplies to Europe.

And the lazy and cowardly European bureaucracy, I must admit, did not warn the lazy and cowardly European bureaucracy about the fall in its own production, primarily at the Groningen field, which is systemic for Europe (which is why the cost of "spots" is measured at the TTF, the largest Dutch hub for the old continent) ...

And about the obvious price bias in the premium markets of Southeast Asia, which just like a vacuum cleaner sweeps out all the free volumes of LNG from the markets.

All this was so obvious that it was somehow not quite clever to remind about it.

And one might think that the energy authorities in the EU did not warn (at least in the expert community such conversations have been going on for a very long time) that under the current circumstances, no American shale gas will simply come to Europe in the mid-term historical perspective.

So he, in fact, did not come.

And in the current circumstances, it is extremely naive to expect that after the decision of the Supreme Land Court of Dusseldorf, the Russian side will rush to urgently buy up the volumes on the "Polish route" (the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline).

Or, let's say, reserve additional volumes on the sadly dilapidated Ukrainian GTS.

Gazprom simply doesn't need it.

Which, by the way, is well understood in Europe as well - at least we are definitely not seeing any discontent with Gazprom from its partners, the largest European energy concerns.

And in general, to assume that Gazprom is “freezing” the Polish and Ukrainian corridors without coordinating these actions with its European partners - this must be, as the famous Bulgakov character put it, “a virgin man” (c).

Which, of course, is permissible for certain Ukrainian "energy politicians".

But you and I do not need anything in the most decisive way.

Moreover. There is a feeling that at least the Germans and the Austrians only welcome this Gazprom's "freezing" of the old transit corridors laid during the Soviet era. And even this, judging by the last meeting of Alexei Miller with the chairman of the board of the Austrian OMV Rainer Seele and their joint press conference, somehow they are not particularly hiding. People, in general, are quite understandable.

After the full launch of Nord Stream 2, by adding up its volumes with the first Nord Stream, the Germans will begin to control transit volumes, which are quite comparable to those that Ukraine controlled in its best times. Moreover, directly, without intermediaries capable of influencing anything. Consequently, the reformatting of European energy markets in such conditions, especially the price one, is simply inevitable: they, these markets, will reformat them for themselves in any case. 

With Gazprom's benevolent neutrality, of course, this reformatting will simply not work without a Russian supplier.

As it has recently become clear, without Russia in Europe, in general, in fact, nowhere.

Thus, what is happening is quite logical: these are just the contours of a new world, the contours of a new - not only European, by the way, energy order.

Which, with amazing imagination, inevitably begin to show through the old "Euro-Atlantic" fantasies.

And this is precisely what is definitely rather stupid and extremely naive not to notice.

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.