Former Slovak economy minister Karel Hirman has warned that a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region has disrupted gas flow through the Druzhba pipeline.
Hirman reported that the volume of natural gas transported through the pipeline has decreased since Ukrainian forces allegedly seized control of the Sudzha station in Russia’s Kursk Region.
Heavy fighting has reportedly been ongoing near Sudzha since Tuesday, when over a thousand Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border.
“Russian gas supplies through Ukraine towards Slovakia are seriously endangered,” Hirman stated in a Facebook post on Thursday, noting that the flow has dropped to 37.25 million cubic meters, the lowest daily volume since May 2023. Hirman indicated that the pipeline previously held a steady flow of 42 million cubic meters.
Hirman’s statement followed his press conference in Bratislava on Wednesday, where he warned that the flow of Russian natural gas through Ukraine could be “completely halted” due to the fighting.
Slovakia’s gas utility SPP asserts that it has been prepared for potential supply disruptions for years and has explored alternative sources.
Kiev’s stated objective for the operation is to instill “fear” in the Russian population, according to Vladimir Zelensky’s advisor Mikhail Podoliak.
The US needs to “ of the neo-Nazis in the Ukrainian army” and cease supplying weapons to Ukraine, said the Russian envoy in Washington, Anatoly Antonov. The American government, however, has yet to take any action, merely stating that it has contacted Kiev for further information.
Despite the outbreak of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, Gazprom continued to transport fuel through Ukrainian territory, paying transit fees to Kiev that contributed to Ukraine’s war effort. The Ukrainian government, however, has indicated its intention to halt all Russian exports.
Sudzha remains the last operational gas metering station between Ukraine and Russia. In early 2022, Ukraine the Sohranovka station in Donbass. That August, Kiev demanded that all gas flows be redirected through Sudzha, a request that Moscow refused.
The following month, the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia and Germany were sabotaged and significantly damaged. No entity has officially claimed responsibility for the explosions, though the US attempted to deflect by attributing them to “rogue” Ukrainian elements.