MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Ukraine needs to secure around 4.5-6 bln cubic meters (bcm) of gas on the European market to get through the next heating season, with part of those supplies inevitably originating from Russia, Verkhovna Rada deputy, first deputy chairman of the parliament’s committee on energy and housing and communal services Alexey Kucherenko said.
"Europe is a unified gas market, where the substitution principle applies. We do not know what gas we're actually purchasing. I may disillusion you: we probably [get] the Russian gas as well – not probably, but definitely we also buy Russian gas, which flows through TurkStream, running to Serbia, to Hungary, for example. <…> We cannot pinpoint the origin of molecules," he said. Theoretically, it is possible that American liquefied gas will reach Ukraine via Polish terminals as well, Kucherenko added.
Ukraine requires around 4.5-6 bcm of gas for the upcoming season, he said, adding that this amount should be contracted now. The primary issue for Naftogaz of Ukraine now is to secure financing, as prices on the European gas market are not expected to decline, according to the deputy.
On April 21, Naftogaz announced the start of gas injection into its underground gas storage facilities (UGS) for the next heating season, without clarifying whether it is imported or domestically produced gas. As of late March, gas stocks in Ukraine’s UGS stood at a record low level of less than 6 bcm. The heating season in the country ended earlier than expected due to shortages.