"One of the chief economic fears of Europeans otherwise out of harm’s way from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is that natural gas supplies could be cut off to large sections of the continent.
The conflict lurched in that direction yesterday when Russian troops seized two pipeline compressor stations along a major export pipeline that runs through Ukraine. In statements, Russian and Ukrainian officials pledged to keep gas flowing. But each sought to blame the other in the event of disruptions.
“The company emphasizes that interference in the technological processes of the [gas transmission system] creates significant risks to the safety of continuous gas transportation to consumers in Ukraine and Europe,” the country’s gas provider, Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine LLC (GTSOU), said in a statement on its website.
The statement indicated that the seizure could “lead to a technological catastrophe in the region.”
The invasion and bombardment have already deprived hundreds of thousands of people of gas amid freezing temperatures. GTSOU says 35 gas distribution stations have been shut down “due to the military aggression” of Russia. Kyiv and the Donetsk region have been affected the most, according to the company, which said about a million people have been left without gas."
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