Ukraine’s gas reserves are in alarming decline, with only 9 per cent of storage already in place. Due to technical reasons, a certain amount (cushion gas) must always be left, so the actual usable stock is even lower than this figure.
At the same time, targeted Russian attacks on Ukrainian gas infrastructure, making the situation even worse.
Earlier Naftogaz issued a statement stating that it has sufficient gas reserves to ensure a stable heating season. However, Ukrainian gas imports from the European Union, mainly from Hungary and Slovakia, have been increasing steadily in recent days.
According to the system operators, more than 12 million cubic metres of gas per day are coming from Slovakia, about 8 million cubic metres from Hungary and 1.8 million cubic metres from Poland. Ukrainian gas imports have increased by about a third in recent days.
What makes the case particularly interesting is that relations between Ukraine and Slovakia have been very tense since the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine at the beginning of the year.