Former head of “Naftogaz” called the condition for the “theft” of gas by Ukraine – RBK

Ukraine will have to “steal” Russian gas from the transit pipe if Naftogaz cannot ensure sufficient fuel imports to cover daily deficits. About this in an article for the publication “Mirror of the Week” stated former head of the company Andrey Kobolev.

According to him, “Naftogaz” is in a state of “deep financial crisis”, and in the first quarter of 2022 Ukraine will not be able to do without “significant” volumes of imported gas. He described a “pessimistic scenario” according to which gas consumption within the country will reach the February 2020 level, and then “the withdrawal of Russian gas from the transit stream will be inevitable.”

“The reaction of Russians to unauthorized selection (or, more simply, theft) of gas is not difficult to predict: stopping transit through the territory of Ukraine and the immediate termination of the current transit contract signed in December 2019,” he said.

Kobolyev also noted that the amount of financial damage in this case “makes no sense”, since it will be greater than the loss on the difference in the price of buying and selling gas, as well as lost revenues from the transit of Russian gas until the end of 2024. “This will most likely lead to the launch of Nord Stream 2 and Gazprom’s refusal to use the Ukrainian route with the complete tacit consent of its Western partners,” he concluded.