EXPLAINER: Why is natural gas still flowing from Russia to Europe across Ukraine?
It might sound improbable, but Europe is still importing Russian natural gas through pipelines in Ukraine
FRANKFURT, Germany — It's one of the more improbable aspects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Even after 2 1/2 years of war and repeated rounds of sanctions, Russian natural gas keeps flowing through Ukraine's pipeline network to customers in Europe.
That hasn't changed despite Ukraine apparently taking control of a gas measuring station near the Russian town of Sudzha as part of Kyiv’s push into Russia’s Kursk region.
Here are key things to know about the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.
Natural gas flows from West Siberian gas fields through pipes that pass through Sudzha and cross the Ukrainian border into Ukraine's system. The pipeline enters the European Union at the Ukraine-Slovakia border, then branches off and sends gas to utilities in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
Natural gas is used to generate electricity, power industrial processes, and in some cases to heat homes.
Gas is flowing as before. It’s no surprise, since Ukraine could have cut off the flows through their own pipeline system at any time. Actual control over the station is difficult to verify due to military secrecy and lack of access for observers or journalists.
On Tuesday, 42.4 million cubic meters of gas were slated to pass through the Sudzha station, according to Ukraine's gas transmission system operator. That's roughly in line with the average for the past 30 days.
Before the war Ukraine and Russia agreed on a five-year deal under which Russia agreed to send set amounts of gas through Ukraine's pipeline system — set up when both countries were part of the Soviet Union — to Europe. Gazprom earns money from the gas and Ukraine
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