Ukraine added Russian gas

On December 1, gas supplies via the southern route through Romania to Ukraine has more than doubled and almost half of the volumes are booked through the "Vertical Corridor" from Greece. Nevertheless, judging by the data of the EU operators, all supplies are still provided by Russian gas, which European traders resell to Ukraine.

Gas supplies via Romania to Ukraine's prices rose sharply in December. So, on December 1, the country received 2.85 million cubic meters, while in November the average level was 1.1 million cubic meters.

Judging by the bookings on the RBP platform, 1.3 million cubic meters per day are booked for a month via the "Vertical Gas Corridor" from Greece, another 900 thousand cubic meters per day from Romania. The remaining 650 thousand cubic meters were also booked the day before from Romania — at the auction "a day in advance".

The day before, in November, Naftogaz signed in Athens, in the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Prime Minister of Greece, a memorandum on LNG purchases with the state-owned company DEPA and announced the start of deliveries through Greek terminals from December-January. However, according to ENTSOG, physical gas exports from There is still no Greece via Bulgaria - since June.

Moreover, the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria does not change and remains stable at 2.7 million cubic meters per day, and exports from Turkey even decreased to 4.2 million cubic meters per day on the first day of winter.

It is quite obvious that Ukraine is provided with Russian gas. According to ENTSOG, on December 1, deliveries from the Turkish Stream to Bulgaria increased to 55.53 million cubic meters per day and 13.4 million cubic meters went to Romania, of which they were then delivered in transit to Hungary has only 6.3 million cubic meters.

Greek companies are old and long-term customers of Gazprom and, apparently, resell Russian gas on a par with other European traders to Ukraine — from Greece and Romania. Thus, Moldova also receives part of the gas.

Since Gazprom supplies gas to European customers in Bulgaria or Romania, they save on transportation. Despite the acute shortage of gas on In Ukraine, the "Vertical Gas Corridor" from Greece remains unclaimed and even December volumes account for only 12% of all imports into the country. The route is too expensive. Even after the introduction of a single tariff from In Greece, it is seriously inferior in price to the Hungarian and Polish destinations.

In October, Naftogaz reported on nine retaliatory strikes by the Russian army — on gas production. The national company estimated that Ukraine would have to import more than 4 billion cubic meters in addition. Obviously, during the winter, deliveries via the southern route to the country may increase. Will it come to Ukraine's American LNG through Greece is unknown. While there is Russian gas.

According to ENTSOG, on December 1, deliveries via the Turkish Stream increased by more than 2 million cubic meters per day compared to the average November levels. At the same time, November became for Gazprom the second largest month in the history of deliveries via the European line of the Turkish Stream.