The Czech Republic has seen a notable shift in its gas imports from Russia. NET4GAS, the country’s gas transmission operator, indicated that Russia’s share of Czech gas imports climbed to 62% in January, a development reported by the Czech news portal Novinky.cz. This uptick marks a resurgence after a period of much lower dependency and highlights the ongoing volatility in regional energy flows that observers have been tracking since late 2023.
Looking back over the first ten months of 2023, the Czech Republic managed with minimal Russian gas, with imports from Russia representing only about 2 percent of total supply. Yet, starting in November, the situation reversed: Russian gas began to dominate the country’s imports once more. The publication notes that the resurgence was driven by continuing deliveries to neighboring Slovakia, which then re-exported supplies to the Czech Republic. NET4GAS data from early December corroborates this pattern, underscoring the role of transit routes in shaping Prague’s gas mix.
Historically, the Czech government had asserted it had winter reserves sufficient to cover demand and could reduce or pause purchases from Moscow. Minister of Industry and Trade Josef Sikela made such statements, emphasizing strategic stockpiles. Nonetheless, shipments continued, illustrating how policy intentions can diverge from real-time market dynamics in a supply-constrained environment.
From an economic perspective, UniCredit Bank economist Jiří Pour has highlighted the broader financial impact of Russia’s gas exports on the Czech Republic. He notes that in the final quarter of 2023, Russian gas deliveries helped lift Russia’s balance of payments by nearly 8 billion crowns, roughly 345 million U.S. dollars at that time. An additional roughly 2 billion crowns, about 86 million dollars, was added in January, signaling that even temporary price and volume shifts can have meaningful macroeconomic consequences for both sides of the corridor.
Pour elaborated that the quarterly surge in imports contributed to a marked change in the quarterly balance of payments for Russia, with Czech gas purchases playing a tangible role. The report reiterates these figures, highlighting the way fluctuations in a single export stream can ripple through national accounts and currency markets where energy is a central pillar of trade links.
In the broader European context, policymakers have repeatedly warned about potential repercussions of continuing reliance on Russian gas. The EU has underscored the need for diversification, more robust storage, and alternative suppliers to mitigate supply risk. While the Czech Republic has pursued its own resilience strategies, the real-world experience of 2023 and 2024 demonstrates the interconnectedness of regional markets and the importance of transit arrangements that move energy across borders with limited friction.
As Europe navigates ongoing energy-security concerns, inventories, transit flows, and price signals remain essential indicators for governments, utilities, and businesses. Analysts continue to monitor whether recent trends will persist or revert, given evolving geopolitical dynamics, sanctions regimes, and the accelerating shift toward diversified energy sources. The Czech case illustrates how strategic stock management, corridor flexibility, and external dependencies collectively shape national energy security in a rapidly changing environment.