Russian forces pose "threat" to gas transit, warns Ukraine
Russian military forces and Moscow-backed rebels are attempting to enter the territories of gas compressor stations at Novopskov in the Lugansk region and Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, as well as interfere in the operation of Ukraine's national gas transmission system, Ukrainian gas grid operator GTSOU reported on March 10. Their actions pose a "threat" to continuous gas flow to consumers both in Ukraine and Europe, the operator warned.
GTSOU called on military and armed groups to leave the territory of the compressor stations, warning that their actions "can lead to a technological catastrophe in the region."
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is now in its 15th day, and the two countries' first high-level talks, between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Dmytro Kubela in the morning, failed to yield any breakthroughs. Ukraine is one of the main conduits for Russian gas heading to Europe, with volumes coming to 41.6bn m3 last year.