Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz said in a Tuesday tweet that “Gazprom accused Ukraine of stealing gas.
Russia is also sending gas to Europe via the TurkStream pipeline that runs through Turkey to Bulgaria.
If Russia halted exports through Ukraine, Europe would lose about 4 billion cubic meters of gas — or just 1% of its estimated gas demand for 2022 — between December and March, Filippenko said.
The continent’s gas storage facilities are nearly 95% full, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.
In this context, a total shut off of Moscow’s pipeline gas through Ukraine would cause “minimal” damage, Filippenko said.