Goodbye, Russian gas! Why decision to halt transit is major historic victory

Although figures like Slovakia’s Robert Fico threaten to cut off Ukraine's electricity or deny funds to refugees, we can finally say that we have freed ourselves from the Kremlin's gas dependency. This is a significant defeat for Russia.

Let me immediately address Fico's threats to leave us without imported electricity amidst the ongoing deficit caused by Russian missile strikes on our infrastructure. These threats are entirely baseless. On March 16, 2022, during intense battles with Russian forces near Kyiv, Ukraine’s energy system synchronized with ENTSO-E, the European continental electricity grid. Therefore, while Fico tries to scare Ukrainians in his New Year’s address, we can calmly purchase electricity from Poland, Moldova, Romania, and even Hungary—who are always eager to earn foreign currency.

Regarding the threats to cut off financial support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, it’s worth noting that the government program has been extended for another year. Besides, Slovakia's conditions aren’t exactly luxurious, so many refugees have already taken jobs in factories. This is especially true for individuals from the industrial Donbas region who possess the relevant skills.

"Ending Russian gas transit is a victory for all the dedicated specialists, civil society, and independent press who consistently argued that cheap Russian gas always came at a high cost for Ukraine."

This transit allowed Putin to keep Europe dependent on Russian gas for decades while spreading one of his most successful disinformation campaigns: that Ukraine is an unreliable partner, incapable of managing gas technologies—a perception akin to comparing outer space exploration to the wild tribes of Polynesia.

"In reality, it was quite different. Kyiv was the center for designing the Soviet Union's main gas transmission systems, which later earned billions of dollars for Putin and his circle. Moreover, Russia frequently poached talent educated at Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk Institute of Oil and Gas."

Russia’s manipulation of gas issues enabled it to extract critical resources from Ukraine—such as strategic bombers and missiles—in exchange for gas discounts. Or, as in the case of the Kharkiv Agreements pushed by Yanukovych, to secure a legal loophole for the future annexation of Crimea by extending the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in exchange for gas discounts.

Many still remember those oppressive contracts signed by Yulia Tymoshenko’s government around New Year’s 2009.

Back then, to force Kyiv into concessions, Gazprom demonstratively turned off the gas supply. The European Union, fearing a freeze, began lamenting that Ukraine was an unreliable partner. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government feared that the fragile Ukrainian housing and utilities sector would collapse under the strain. Thus, agreements were signed in Moscow granting Gazprom complete monopoly over the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine.

Around that time, the Kremlin elite began forming plans to occupy Ukrainian territories. One of the leading energy experts, Mykhailo Honchar, recalls a speech by Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin of United Russia during this period, discussing the "signal" needed to encourage southeastern regions to join Russia.

The plan was as follows: cut off gas supplies to Odesa, Dnipro, and Donetsk, then relish the ensuing communal collapse and public demonstrations. After that, deeply embedded collaborators—local pro-Russian parties and aggressive parishioners of the Moscow Patriarchate—were meant to spring into action.

The prolonged transit of Russian gas was the Kremlin's key entry point into our internal politics. It allowed them to buy off Ukrainian politicians (even presidents) by giving them a share of the profits from Russian gas. Russian gas and the “RosUkrEnergo” scheme granted influence and wealth to figures like Dmytro Firtash. Gas flows gave rise to the "Hero of Ukraine," Yuriy Boiko, who now searches for "Ukrainian radicals" and "paramilitary Ukrainian groups." This was also how the pro-Russian propaganda machine, the INTER television channel, was funded. Through these schemes, the former "first channel of the country" flooded citizens' minds with "Immortal Regiment" marches, Kobzon, and Russian soap operas for housewives. Now, all of this is gone—and hopefully, it will never return.

"Notably, no one in Europe, except for the Russian enclave of Transnistria, has suffered from the cessation of Russian gas transit. Even official Vienna was among the first to issue a statement along the lines of, 'Thank God, we’re no longer dependent on the Kremlin's gas.'"

The era of "cheap gas"—which we paid for dearly with compromises in defense, security, and domestic politics—has officially ended. This war became possible because Russia managed to accumulate billions of dollars using our money. In reality, it was the most expensive gas imaginable. We paid for it with blood, lost territories, and lives shattered into pieces.

What are the next challenges? Clearly, Eastern Europe will shift to new market-based economic models, and our goal is to leap into this transition as a full-fledged player with clear agreements and a solid reputation.

The changing times are evidenced by Germany’s silence—it’s as quiet as a fish—and even its welcome of this historic decision. This is despite the fact that former Chancellor Angela Merkel once made her country dependent on Russian energy resources and actively concealed Putin’s blackmail from Europe.

Especially for Espreso

About the author: Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.