The EU says most states will not be affected but other European countries, including Moldova, are facing shortages.

The Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline was built in the Soviet era to carry Siberian gas to European markets. It became the main conduit to Ukraine’s border with Slovakia from Siberia, passing through the town of Sudzha — which is now under the control of Ukrainian military forces — in Russia’s Kursk region.

Ukraine on Wednesday halted Russian gas supplies to European customers through its pipeline network after a prewar transit deal expired at the end of 2024 and almost three years into Moscow's all-out invasion of its neighbor.

Ukraine, which had allowed Russian oil and gas to cross its territory to serve Europe while fighting Moscow’s invasion since 2022, refused to renew the deal.

As the last of the gas flowing via Ukraine to Europe runs out, Russian gas will no longer be making its way to Europe, marking the end of a decades-long arrangement. Russia had already cut off most supplies through the Baltic and Belarus-Poland pipelines after the Ukraine/Russia war started,