'European' gas that Kiev has been buying from Western partners is Russian: Ex-Ukraine PM

Amid ongoing tensions at the Ukraine-Russia border, former Ukrainian Prime Minister and prominent opposition figure Yulia Tymoshenko has revealed that the so-called ‘European’ gas purchased by Kyiv from Western partners actually comes from Russia. She also said that the efforts to obfuscate the gas being Russian constitute a form of "cruel and cynical" deception of the Ukrainian people.

It is to note that Ukraine officially halted the purchase of Russian gas in November 2015 and began buying ‘European’ gas from partners in the West including Slovakia and Poland. But, investigations have revealed that most if not all of the gas received by Kyiv from the European Union (EU) is actually, still Russian and is sold back to Ukraine at heightened prices, reported Sputnik. 

“Since 2014 Ukraine has been buying gas from Russia, and everything that was said about Ukraine not buying Russian gas has been a huge, criminal deception. How can you so cruelly and cynically deceive the country?” Tymoshenko asked during an interview with Ukrainian television, as per Sputnik.

The Ukrainian politician also said that authorities in the country purchase gas from European -based intermediaries “which pump out a fairly large amount of money” for themselves, “and receive what are in effect kickbacks from Russian supplies – from $70 to $100 per thousand cubic metres of gas”. Tymoshenko said, “They have created a fictitious loop-shaped pipeline, but the gas that flowed through it was Russian…The gas goes around in a circle, and then is registered at customs.” 

Ukraine officially halted purchasing gas from Russia in 2015

According to former Ukrainian PM Europe does not have the ability to satisfy Kyiv’s gas needs. In November 2015, Ukrainian state energy giant Naftogaz officially halted the purchase of gas from Russia’s Gazprom. According to Sputnik. Kyiv claimed that it could find cheaper alternatives through other channels. But in late 2019, both firms signed a new gas transit agreement committing Gazprom to pump at least 40 billion cubic metres of gas through Ukraine annually between 2021 and 2024. 

Reportedly, on Saturday, the Russian firm confirmed that it fulfilled its annual transit commitments for 2021. Notably, in September 2020, Ukraine essentially returned to buying gas from Moscow using a scheme known as “virtual reverse” in which Kyiv does not purchase gas directly from Gazprom but suspend pumping gas to Europe and then back to Ukraine. Sputnik stated that Ukraine’s gas operators have said that the policy saves Ukraine between $10-20 per thousand cubic metres owing to decreased transportation costs. As per the report, it has been estimated that as much as half of Russian transit volumes shipped through Ukraine remain in the nation. 

(IMAGE: AP)