The transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe has been halted as planned, authorities said on New Year's Day.
Russia's Gazprom has no legal or technical means to pump gas through Ukraine after Kiev let the existing contract expire on Wednesday, the company wrote on Telegram.
Movement was therefore suspended from 6am (0500 GMT).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that the ban on the flow of Russian natural gas through Ukraine to Europe marks a major loss for Moscow.
Zelensky said that when Russian President Vladimir Putin took office for the first time more than 25 years ago, the movement of gas through Ukraine to Europe amounted to more than 130 billion cubic meters every year.
“Today, Russia's gas transfer is (zero). This is one of Moscow's biggest losses,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko called the suspension of Russian gas transit through the war-torn country a “historic event”.
“Russia is losing markets, it will suffer from the financial losses,” he said.
Under the deal, Ukraine also collected billions in transfer fees. But Halushchenko said the gas transmission network had been prepared for the supply halt, with the support of the EU, which was seeking alternatives to Russian gas after Moscow launched its full-scale offensive.
Kiev's move means Slovakia will no longer receive Russian gas through this pipeline.
Slovakia, a member state of the EU and NATO that is next to Ukraine, has threatened Kiev with consequences for taking the step.
The validity of the contract signed on December 30, 2019, ended this morning, Gazprom said, noting that the Ukrainian side once again refused to extend the contract.
Kiev said it would no longer allow Russian gas to flow through its territory to deny Moscow billions of dollars in revenue that is being used to finance the war on Ukraine.
The Slovak government has thrown Kiev for the decision, as they assure the people that their gas storage facilities are 100% full, with enough reserves for the winter.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is accused of taking a stand against Russia, threatened to stop the supply of electricity from Slovakia to Ukraine.
Fico remains one of the strongest opponents of military aid to Ukraine.
Moldova was also supposed to be affected by the Ukrainian transport ban. However, Gazprom had already decided to stop deliveries to the former Soviet republic, where pro-Russian and pro-European forces are vying for power, because of its debt. is accused.
The Moldovan government has denied that Gazprom owes $790 million.
Despite the supply stoppage, Russian gas continues to reach the EU through other routes, including the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines laid in the Black Sea.
TurkStream, for example, supplies not only Turkey but also Southeast Europe.
Russian energy analysts recently said that Gazprom could increase its deliveries through the pipelines by 4 billion to 6 billion cubic meters per year.
Even now, Russia is still making billions from gas exports to individual EU states, including Hungary. Moscow has also been increasing exports to China in particular.
