Ukraine cuts off Russian gas pipeline to Europe

Map of Russian gas pipelines to Europe

(Image credit: Omar Zaghloul / Anadolu via Getty Images)

What happened

Russia ceased sending natural gas to Europe through pipelines in Ukraine Wednesday, after Kyiv refused to renew a prewar transit contract with Russia's state-owned Gazprom.

Who said what

The closure of the Soviet-era pipelines effectively ends "decades of Moscow's dominance over Europe's energy markets," Reuters said. This was "Russia's last major gas corridor to Europe," The New York Times said, and the halt could "potentially affect Moscow’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine." Russia will lose up to $6.5 billion a year in gas revenue, though Ukraine also gave up about $1 billion in Russian transit fees.

The gas stoppage was "one of Moscow's biggest defeats," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a post on social media. The deal's end "was long expected and will have limited impact on Europe's gas supplies," The Wall Street Journal said. Most of Europe "dramatically reduced its reliance on Russian gas" after Moscow's 2022 invasion, though Gazprom clients Slovakia and Hungary are bracing for higher fuel prices and Moldova is under a state of emergency tied to gas shortages.

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Moldova's pro-Moscow breakaway region Transnistria cut off heating and hot water supplies to households Wednesday.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.