Russia's Gazprom Group continues to export gas to Europe via Ukraine

Despite Western sanctions against Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine, the gas company Gazprom still exports a little to Europe. Olga Maltseva AFP/Archivos

Text by: Agnieszka Kumor

2 min

The Russian gas group Gazprom announced on Saturday (April 15th) that it would transport 38.5 million cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine. This is a little less than the day before, 41.7 million cubic meters. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe has drastically reduced its imports of Russian gas due to Western sanctions. But a small amount still passes through Ukrainian territory.

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In 2022, Gazprom's exports to the European Union plummeted by 55%. Russia responded by reducing the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines and then permanently turning off the tap. In addition, the Twenty-Seven have agreed on capping wholesale gas prices as soon as they exceed EUR 180 per megawatt hour.

As a result, according to a study carried out by the Friends of the Earth Federation, the NGOs Oil Change International and Food Water Action, imports of Russian gas by pipeline represented only 11% of European imports in the third quarter of 2022, compared to 40% in the same period a year earlier.

Hungary and Austria highly dependent on Russian gas

Transit via Ukraine currently remains the only route for Russian gas to Europe. The Brotherhood pipeline mainly supplies Hungary and Austria, which remain highly dependent on Russian gas.

For their part, European countries have increased their imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The bulk of these purchases are made with the United States and Qatar, but also with Egypt and West Africa (Nigeria and Senegal).

► Read also: Alexei Miller, the very discreet boss of Gazprom

Energy independence of Lithuania

Heavily dependent on Russia for its gas needs, Lithuania began to free itself from it in 2014, thanks to the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal installed opposite the port of Klaipeda, on the Baltic Sea. Interconnections with the Baltic States and Poland have enabled Vilnius to gain energy independence.

Thus, in June 2022, Lithuania became the first European Union member state to completely stop importing Russian gas. But this is not the case for the rest of Europe, because a small amount of liquefied gas comes from Russia.

Among the European countries that have imported the most Russian LNG are France, followed by Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in the event of a total halt to deliveries of Russian liquefied gas and without an effort to reduce its needs, Europe could run out of gas next winter.

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Read on on the same topics:

• Energies
• Russia
• Ukraine