MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Foreign energy companies subject to Moscow's retaliatory sanctions will no longer be able to participate in gas supplies from Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. He also described the restrictions as blocking.

On Wednesday, the Russian government approved a list of legal entities against which retaliatory sanctions are imposed. It includes 31 companies from Germany, France and other European countries, as well as from Singapore and the USA. There are former European subsidiaries of Gazprom among them as well as traders and operators of underground gas storage facilities.

"The sanctions against these companies are blocking," he said in response to a question about how this decision will affect gas supplies to Europe.

"Therefore, there will be no relations with these companies, they are simply prohibited," Peskov said. He confirmed that "these companies can no longer participate in the process" of gas supplies from Russia.

"Other companies will most likely be involved in the process. For details, you need to contact Gazprom," he added.

On Moscow’s counter sanctions

According to the documents the Russian government approved earlier, the Russian authorities, legal entities and citizens will not be able to conclude transactions with sanctioned foreign companies and other entities under their control.

The government also set additional criteria for transactions that are prohibited from being performed with companies from the sanctions list. These include transactions concluded in favor of these entities, or transactions involving the making of payments, transactions with securities with the participation or in favor of such companies. The document also bans the entry ships owned or chartered by sanctioned persons, in their interests or on their behalf into the Russian ports.

In particular, Russia’s sanctions list includes Gazprom Germania GmbH, Gazprom Schweiz AG, Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA Inc, Vemex, Wingas, EuRoPol GAZ.

On March 31, 2022, the Gazprom Group ceased participation in the German company Gazprom Germania Gmbh and all its assets, including Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd. The German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action placed Gazprom Germania GmbH under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency until September 30.

Gazprom Germania is an international group of companies that, through its subsidiary Gazprom Marketing & Trading, is engaged in natural gas trading in the UK spot markets, as well as the sale of liquefied natural gas in Southeast Asia. Through its subsidiary Gazprom Schweiz AG, it trades natural gas in countries Central Asia and the former Soviet Union, as well as in Austria, Italy and Serbia. In Germany natural gas is mainly sold through Wingas and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia through Vemex Gazprom Germania.

EuRoPol GAZ is a joint venture between Gazprom and Poland's PGNiG, which owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline.