Russian-owned Gazprom is threatening to axe natural gas shipments through the last remaining pipeline into Europe after accusing Ukraine of siphoning supplies originally intended to Moldova.
Gazprom on Tuesday warned it may slash gas deliveries slated for the Sudzha measuring station, in response to allegations that Ukraine is diverting some of the supplies destined to Moldova. “Gazprom has observed that Russian gas intended for delivery to Moldovan consumers as per the contract with Moldovagaz actually settles in Ukraine,” the Russian energy giant said in a statement on Tuesday. “The volume of gas supplied by Gazprom to the ‘Sudzha’ gas measuring station (GMS) for transit to Moldova via Ukraine exceeds the physical volume transmitted at the border of Ukraine with Moldova.”
According to Gazprom, Moldova already made a partial payment for November gas supplies, but Ukraine is withholding about 52.52 million cubic meters of that shipment on its land. The state-owned energy company warned that if the imbalance persists, Russia may start cutting gas flowing through the Sudzha transit line as early as November 28 “in the amount of the daily under-delivery.” The pipeline is currently the last remaining route for Russian gas supplies into western and central Europe, after an explosion decimated the Nord Stream pipelines back in September.
Ukraine, for its part, argued that Gazprom is falsely reporting the situation, insisting that all gas shipped into the Sudzha GMS was sent to Moldova. Kiev said the disparity in volume is occurring because some of the gas is returned into Ukrainian territory via “virtual reverse.” Meanwhile, Moldova, one of Europe’s most impoverished countries, is suffering from surging inflation and energy shortages that are causing widespread blackouts.
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