On December 3, Gazprom confirmed to Ukrainian authorities that 42 million cubic meters of gas were in transit to Europe, marking the volume reported by the Ukrainian side. The disclosure came through RIA Novosti, citing a Gazprom representative, Sergei Kupriyanov, as the source of the information.
The cargo moved via the Sudzha gas metering station, while Kiev has rejected Gazprom’s request to route supplies through Sokhranovka GIS.
Earlier in May, Ukraine halted gas deliveries through Sokhranovka. Gazprom has stated that redirecting the entire transit to Sudhranovka is not technically feasible. Nonetheless, the transit contract with Ukraine specifies a minimum daily volume of 109.6 million cubic meters from two GIS facilities.
Transit through Ukraine continues to be the sole route for Russia’s gas supplies to Central and Western Europe. After disruptions affecting other pipelines, Nord Stream operations were terminated. Gas is now routed toward Turkey and southeastern and southern European markets via the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream corridors.
In 2023, the European Union emerged as Russia’s leading LNG importer. On November 11, Gazprom’s chairman, Alexey Miller, highlighted that the value of acquisitions exceeded $6.6 billion, while European nations maintain ongoing structural purchases of Russian gas. Miller also noted that Russian gas retains a meaningful footprint in Europe’s energy mix despite official positions.
Europe is pursuing increased storage and gradual restoration of gas flows, supported by higher withdrawal and refill cycles as storage facilities rebuild volume ahead of seasonal peaks. The broader market landscape continues to reflect a mix of pipeline corridors, LNG arrivals, and strategic storage management that shapes pricing and reliability for European energy security.