Russia on Wednesday opened a new front in its war in Ukraine, shutting off two European Union countries from Kyiv’s gas supply, a dramatic escalation in a confrontation that is rapidly developing into a bigger showdown with the West.
The Kremlin used its most important export as leverage against two of Kyiv’s staunch backers, just a day after the US and other Western allies pledged to speed up the delivery of additional and heavier weapons to Ukraine. As a result of the announcement, gas prices throughout Europe skyrocketed.
Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian energy behemoth, announced in a memo that it was cutting off Poland and Bulgaria from its natural gas supply because they refused to pay in Russian rubles, as the president Vladimir Putin asked.Since the beginning of the month, the company has not received any such payments, according to the company.
The gas cuts do not immediately put countries in jeopardy because they have been working for several years to find alternative sources, and the continent is approaching summer, making gas less essential for households.
Targeted countries may be forced to ration gas as a result of the strategy, dealing further blow to economies already battered by rising prices. At the same time, it risks depriving Russia of vital funds for its military effort.
On the ground, the geopolitical battle has heated up, with Russia’s military claiming on Wednesday that its missiles struck a batch of weapons delivered to Ukraine by the US and European nations.
Explosions had rocked Moldova’s separatist Trans-Dniester region the day before, knocking down two strong radio antennae and stoking fears that the conflict may spill over Ukraine’s borders. Despite the fact that no one claimed credit for the assaults, which were the second in as many days, Ukraine effectively blamed Russia.
A Russian missile also destroyed a major railway bridge connecting Ukraine’s port city of Odessa with NATO member Romania, according to Ukrainian authorities.
