Russian hydrocarbon giant Gazprom announced today that it will stop using a major Polish pipeline for shipments to Europe in response to Western sanctions for its offensive in Ukraine.

Gazprom said in a statement that the adoption of these counter-sanctions by Russia “means the ban on the use of a gas pipeline belonging to the EuroPol GAZ group (responsible for the Polish part of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline) to transport Russian gas through Poland.” Posted in Telegram app.

Yesterday, Moscow announced sanctions against more than 30 companies from the EU (European Union), the United States and Singapore. This is a reaction to the punitive measures these regions impose on Russia due to the ongoing military action in Ukraine.

These sanctions include a ban on the entry and operations of vessels associated with the above-mentioned companies into Russian ports.

Among the affected companies is EuRoPol GAZ SA, which owns the Polish part of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. This infrastructure is crucial for the transport of Russian gas to Germany via Belarus and Poland.

Gazprom added that “The Polish side, in its capacity as a shareholder of EuRoPol GAZ, violated Gazprom’s rights several times and included Gazprom on the list of those affected by the sanctions on April 26, 2022.” According to the memo, this prevents the company from “exercising its rights over EuroPol GAZ’s shares” and “receiving dividends”.

Most of the other affected companies are owned by the Russian giant’s German subsidiary, Gazprom Germania. Because of its strategic importance, Berlin brought it under the control of the German state. In early April, Gazprom announced its “withdrawal” from this subsidiary, but did not provide further details on this.

German response

After the announcement about the pipeline, German Energy Minister Robert Habeck accused Russia of using energy “as a weapon”.

“The situation is getting worse because energy is now used as a weapon in different ways,” denounced Habeck, who also holds the post of vice-chancellor (vice-president of government).

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, during his visit to Berlin, once again called on the EU to reduce its energy dependence on Russia.

“It is necessary to cut off energy oxygen from Russia, this is especially important for Europe,” Kuleba said at a press conference in the German capital on Thursday.

“Russia has shown that it is not a reliable partner and that Europe cannot afford to continue negotiating with them under these circumstances,” he said.

Western measures against Russia in the context of the Kyiv conflict are unprecedented. These range from freezing Russian reserves to embargoes of strategic assets and extensive financial sanctions.

Gazprom announced in April that it had suspended natural gas distribution to Bulgaria and Poland because these countries did not want to pay in rubles. Both are members of the European Union (EU).

For two days, gas shipments to Europe via Ukraine have been affected by the conflict. The Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which directly connects Russia and Germany, remains protected from this war of retaliation.