Vladimir Putin is carrying out his threats: he has asked the Russian gas giant to suspend deliveries to countries that refuse to pay in rubles. In the theater of operations, the bombings are intensifying.
The information given this Tuesday, April 26 at about 19 hours by the portal Onet, has been confirmed by the Polish company PGNiG. Gazprom will no longer deliver gas to Poland via the Yamal pipeline from this Wednesday morning. The ultimatum set by Putin to pay in Russian currency expired last Friday. Most European Union countries, including Poland and Germany, did not accept this diktat.
“Not a danger for Poland”
The announcement comes as Warsaw later today published a list of 50 Russian oligarchs and companies, including Gazprom, targeted by sanctions allowing their assets to be frozen under a law passed this month. This is a separate measure from the sanctions taken in coordination with the other countries of the European Union, says the portal Onet.
“Since the first day of the war, we have declared that we are ready for total independence from Russian raw materials,” said Polish Minister Anna Moskwa.
Poland’s energy supply is not in danger, however, the Polish climate ministry said, adding that there was no need to tap into gas reserves and that consumer access would not be interrupted.
“The gas pipeline that connects us to Norway will be put into operation this year in October, said Piotr Naimski, government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, at the European Economic Congress 2022. The gas port has already been expanded in the first phase. It has the capacity to receive 6.3 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Norway’s gas pipeline is 10 billion cubic meters.”
No more Russian gas to Bulgaria
“Today, Bulgargas EAD has been informed that Gazprom Export deliveries will be suspended from April 27, 2022,” the Ministry of Economy said in a statement, while the Balkan country is heavily dependent on Russian gas.
Bulgaria is 90% dependent on Russian gas. But the leaders say they can quickly become independent of Russia.
The bombing intensifies
On the 62ᵉ day of the war, Russia continues the bombing as the United States and about 40 of its allies met in Germany to provide even more heavy weapons to Ukraine, giving it the means to defend itself and win the war.
Kiev has accused Moscow of seeking to “destabilize” the pro-Russian Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine but is pro-Russian. Washington fears an escalation of the conflict that could lead to a general conflagration.