Russian exports of pipeline gas to Europe at a post-Soviet low

Based on calculations using Gazprom data, Russian gas exports to Europe via pipelines fell to a post-Soviet low in 2022 as its biggest customer reduced imports as a result of the conflict in Ukraine and a sizable pipeline suffered damage from mysterious explosions.

The European Union has always been Russia's biggest customer for oil and gas, but after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in February, Brussels got serious about reducing its reliance on Russian energy.

Citing Chief Executive Officer Alexei Miller, a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin, state-controlled Gazprom reported that its exports outside the former Soviet Union will reach 100.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) this year.

This includes natural gas sent to China through the Power of Siberia pipeline. In 2017, Gazprom sent 10.39 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China through this pipeline.

After explosions in the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, Russia stopped sending natural gas directly to Germany, which has the biggest economy in Europe.

Sweden and Denmark have concluded that four leaks on Nord Stream 1 and 2 were caused by explosions, but neither country has indicated who may be at fault. The Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, referred to the damage as an act of sabotage.