Ukraine crisis: Why has Russian gas through Ukraine dropped 20 percent?
Russian gas to Poland through Ukraine has dropped by at least 20 percent, but it's unclear who's at fault. Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom says that gas flows through Ukraine hasn't changed, and if there's a reduction, it's Poland's fault.
Russian gas to Poland through Ukraine has dropped by at least 20 percent, but it's unclear who's at fault. Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom says that gas flows through Ukraine hasn't changed, and if there's a reduction, it's Poland's fault.
No one disputes that the amount of Russian gas being piped through Ukraine has been cut by at least 20 percent. But who鈥檚 responsible?
Poland said Sept. 10 that the amount of gas coming from the Kremlin-run gas monopoly Gazprom was聽down by at least one-fifth, feeding a growing suspicion in much of Europe that Moscow is using energy as leverage in its continuing dispute with the West over its actions in Ukraine.
Poland鈥檚 state-controlled gas company PGNiG says gas deliveries from Gazprom through Ukraine and neighboring Belarus were down by 20 percent on Sept. 8 and by 24 percent on Sept. 9. It says it鈥檚 investigating the shortfall.
Meanwhile, Ukrtranzgaz, Ukraine鈥檚 pipeline monopoly, said Gazprom was reducing shipments to Poland to prevent 鈥渞everse flows鈥� of gas, where Warsaw diverts 4 million cubic meters of gas daily headed for Western Europe southward to serve Ukrainian homes and businesses.
Uktransgaz CEO Igor Prokopiv said Russia is trying to 鈥渄erail鈥� this reverse-flow agreement. Ukraine is getting no gas directly from Russia in a dispute over outstanding debt for previous gas deliveries.
Gazprom says its聽flow of gas hasn鈥檛 changed聽and that if there is a reduction, it鈥檚 Poland鈥檚 fault, not Russia鈥檚.
鈥淩eports by news agencies on the reduction of volumes of gas supplies by Gazprom to Poland鈥檚 PGNiG are incorrect,鈥� Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov said, according to聽RT, quoting Itar-Tass. 鈥淭he same volume of gas as in previous days 鈥� 23 million cubic meters a day 鈥� is being supplied to Poland now.鈥�
No matter who is responsible for the reduction in the flow of gas, the consequences of the dispute go far beyond Poland and Ukraine. EU nations get one-third of their gas supplies from Russia, and half of that amount flows through Ukraine. Similar disputes led to interruptions in the supply of gas to Europe twice before, in 2006 and 2009.
Nevertheless, there was no evidence that the current shortage was affecting any Western European customers.聽Slovakia, a major transit point for Russia gas exports to Europe, said volumes had not changed, and operators in Hungary, Bosnia and Serbia said the same.
And in Austria, a spokesman for the energy company OMV聽told Reuters, 鈥淭he supply situation in Austria is normal. Deliveries from our Russian partner come within the range of normal fluctuations.鈥�
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