Gazprom strikes back: the monopoly cuts gas supplies to Ukraine

UKRAINE - In Brief 03 Mar 2018 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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The decision of Stockholm arbitration in favor of Ukraine (Naftogaz), no doubt, is unacceptable for Kremlin on the eve of presidential elections in Russia. It ruins the legend about omnipotence of Gazprom and undermines the myth about inferiority of Ukrainian state, that Russian media actively promote. Negative response from Moscow was predictable; however, we expected it would be just a reluctance to pay the debt. Instead Kremlin decided to use already traditional instrument – cutting gas supplies on the coldest days. They have reached their target, I believe. Russian audience (potential voters for Vladimir Putin) probably feel satisfied with punishment for Ukrainians. That’s all Kremlin needs from this action. Ukrainian side also decided to draw political benefits from Gazprom response. Looks like President Petro Porosheno was happy to one more time emphasize who is the evil side of this story. People happily unite against joint enemy. The authorities announced a national action ‘screw the gas consumption’ which calls for Ukrainians to reduce temperatures in their apartments by 1-2°C for 3-4 days. For the sake of independence. This call was smoothly perceived by local media since everyone understands why it happens: the results of Stockholm arbitration have been discussed widely. Put it different, this energy crisis, Kremlin tries to arrange for Ukraine, looks politically comfortable for Ukrainian authorities since they can easily put responsibility to Moscow. According to Naftogaz the total idea was to catch Ukraine into a technical trap. Naftogaz has enough natural gas in gas storages. However, there are technical restrictions for immediate increase of gas supplies...