On Saturday, November 16, Russia will halt gas supplies to Austria via Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that this is yet another instance of Moscow's energy blackmail.
The announcement regarding the gas supply suspension was made by Reuters on November 15.
How the share of oil sales revenues in Russia's GDP is changingThe infographic shows the dynamics of Russia's oil sales revenues before and after the invasion of Ukraine and their share in the country's GDP.This concerns the pipeline that is the oldest route for delivering Russian gas to Europe. It was scheduled to be closed by the end of 2024, as Ukraine refused to extend the transit agreement for Gazprom's energy resources to the EU.
After the suspension of supplies to Austria, the aggressor nation will only sell significant volumes of gas to Hungary and Slovakia.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer noted that the announcement of the suspension was anticipated, and the country has prepared for it, with gas storage facilities sufficiently filled to ensure citizens are not left without heating.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga responded to the cessation of supplies, stating that Russia is once again using energy as a weapon.
“By cutting off Austria from gas, Russia is once again employing energy as a weapon. However, the Austrian government will undoubtedly ensure energy security and reject blackmail. The era of Europe relying on Russian gas is over. It is time to completely cut Russian energy profits – and funding for war,” he wrote.
It was previously reported that Hungarian authorities plan to increase the volume of Russian gas imports through the "Turkish Stream" pipeline.
There were also reports that the Czech Republic spent five times more on Russian oil and gas than on aid to Ukraine.