Gazprom Halts Gas Transit Through Ukraine, Balkans Stream Key Route to Europe

Gazprom has officially stated that it no longer has the technical or legal capacity to transit gas through Ukraine following the expiration of the five-year contract.

This marks a significant shift in Europe’s energy supply routes as the Balkan Stream now becomes the primary source of Russian pipeline gas to the continent, bypassing Ukraine.

The Balkan Stream, which is supplied by the Turkish Stream pipeline, delivers approximately 14-15 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Romania, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary.

This route is now the only remaining channel for Russian gas to reach Europe without transiting through Ukraine, following the expiration of the agreement between Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz on December 31, 2024. The Ukrainian government has made it clear that it does not intend to renew the transit contract.

In 2024, Gazprom supplied around 15.5 billion cubic meters of gas through this route, representing about 4.5% of the EU’s total gas consumption.

This supply had been particularly significant for countries such as Moldova, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic, with Ukrainian transit playing a dominant role in gas deliveries to Austria, Slovakia, and Moldova.