Russia immediately cuts off gas to Poland, Bulgaria

RT reported, Poland’s state-owned energy group PGNiG confirmed that the energy group Gazprom Russia will stop supplying gas under the contract through the Yamal pipeline from April 27. Earlier reports suggested that supplies from Russia had been cut.

According to a statement from the Polish gas company, “Gazprom has informed PGNiG of its intention to completely suspend deliveries under the Yamal contract on April 27.”

Earlier, on April 26, a spokesman for Gazprom announced: “Today, Poland is obliged to pay for gas purchases under a new payment process”, referring to Russia’s request that “countries of the world are required to pay for gas purchases”. unfriendly” have to buy gas with ruble.

However, Poland refused to follow this procedure and on April 26 sanctioned Gazprom, which owns a 48% stake in the Polish company that co-owns the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. The 4,000km pipeline transports gas from the Yamal peninsula and western Siberia to Germany and Poland via Belarus.

Media reports soon showed that the supply for Poland was discontinued and the Warsaw government convened a crisis meeting.

PGNiG emphasized that the supply to consumers will not be interrupted thanks to gas reserves and purchases from other suppliers.

Poland is one of the staunch supporters of the orders punish Russia imposed by the US and EU since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in February. Poland also allows the shipment of Western weapons through this country into Ukrainian territory.

While some gas-dependent countries like Germany have warned the EU of the consequences of stopping Russian gas imports and others like Hungary have said they will continue to buy fuel from Moscow, the Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced that it will ban all imports of Russian coal, oil and gas by the end of the year.

In related developments, the Ministry of Energy Bulgaria also announced that Gazprom stopped supplying gas to Bulgaria on April 27. The reason is also because Bulgaria refuses to pay in rubles.

The Department of Energy released the news on April 26, assuring that the country’s consumers would not need to ration gas. Bulgaria imports about 90% of its gas from Russia, the rest comes from Azerbaijan.

Last month, a spokesman for the state energy group Bulgargaz told reporters that, starting this summer, Azerbaijan will supply all of its gas supplies to Bulgaria, albeit at a higher price. In the future, the Bulgarian government plans to connect the country with an unfinished liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Greece, where gas will be imported by ship, possibly from the US.

Bulgaria’s current 10-year contract with Gazprom is expected to expire at the end of this year, but the ministry statement said Bulgargaz would not terminate the contract if payment had to be made in rubles, stating this. “posed a significant risk to Bulgaria”.

Meanwhile, some Russian gas buyers have signaled that they may agree to Moscow’s demands. On April 25, Uniper, a major importer Russian gas of Germany, said it could pay for future supplies without violating Western sanctions.