The flow of Russian gas west through the Yamal pipeline has stopped

Russian gas supplies via the Yamal gas pipeline to the west stopped on Saturday, according to data from the gas network operator, Gascade. The pipeline runs through the territory of Poland, which stated that it still receives a quantity of raw material corresponding to the contract with Russia. According to Interfax, the flow of gas was redirected in the opposite direction - from west to east. It is not yet known how long this situation will last, Reuters reported. Russia's gas company Gazprom later said it was meeting its obligations to its customers in Europe. According to a spokesman for the Polish state-owned gas company PGNiG, the amount of gas is significantly lower than usual, but Poland still receives the contracted amount. A representative of the Polish gas pipeline operator Gaz-System said that Russian gas was coming to Poland in the opposite direction - from west to east. "Currently, there is no demand for gas transportation to Germany," he said. Gas supplies from Russia are being closely monitored in a situation where the prices of this raw material in Europe have risen sharply. There are several factors to blame, but especially the higher demand for the pandemic and low stocks. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and some MEPs accuse Gazprom of not doing enough to increase supplies to Europe. However, the Russian gas giant claims that it always complies with its contractual obligations, which is also confirmed by its customers in southern and western Europe. They did not order any additional gas supplies from Gazprom at the time of the highest price increase, an October survey by Reuters showed. The Jamal gas pipeline brings Russian gas through Belarusian and Polish territories to Germany. Its capacity is up to 33 billion meters per year. Last year, the agreement between Russia and Poland on the transit of raw materials expired, but Gazprom can order transmission capacity at auctions.