"This business is lost for Putin": Gas production in Russia has fallen by 26% - the media

45 billion cubic meters, which means reducing gas supplies to the domestic and foreign markets by 26. 5 % compared to the same period of the past. year, writes Newsweek. Since February 24, 2022, a full -scale invasion of Vladimir Putin into Ukraine began, sanctions have been aimed at isolating Russia from the world economy, cutting it off from the International Swift Banking Banking System and freeze some of its currency reserves.

Russia's war against Ukraine also pushed Europe to dramatically reduce the purchases of Russian oil and gas. The continent overcame the energy crisis last winter, partly due to the reduction of energy consumption and the search for other suppliers, such as sellers of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Russian -language newspaper "Agency" reported that Gazprom "never had such a low level of production throughout its history" and that "the last fall of indicators was observed in the Soviet Union of 1978", when 372. 1 billion cubic meters were produced. m of gas. In February 2023, Putin accused the West of direct attempts to limit Russia's gas industry, but added that Gazprom "moved forward and launches new projects.

" Thomas O'Donnell, a researcher at the Wilson Analytical Center, reported Newsweek that Putin stopped supplying gas before attacking Ukraine in September 2022 through the Nord Stream Pipeline between Russia and Germany, calling such actions of the Kremlin as a sabotage. "This aspect of Putin of the Energy War had unpleasant consequences. It was preparing a year before the invasion (in Ukraine - ed.

) To leave the EU storage empty and then get the maximum blackmail lever, selectively reducing supplies to the EU country, but it failed" , - emphasized the geopolitical analyst. According to O'Donnell, an increase in LNG supplies from the United States with the assistance of Norway and Qatar means that "the EU will not have to concede when Putin blocks gas flows. " "So this business is now lost for Putin.

For Moscow, without new, extremely expensive pipelines to China, this huge Russian gas resource will remain a futile asset," he added. We will remind, on September 20 it was reported that Moldova is deprived of Russian gas dependence. Moldova's gas transportation system is now being exercised by a company not related to Russian Gazprom. In addition, Focus wrote that Ukraine does not need to sign a treaty with Gazprom.