OREANDA-NEWS. In February, the Russian concern Gazprom transported 76% of the booked gas volumes through the Ukrainian gas transmission system (GTS). This was announced by the head of the company "Operator of the gas transmission system of Ukraine" Sergey Makogon.

“According to current data, gas transit through Ukraine to the EU and Moldova in February amounted to 3.926 billion cubic meters. This represents 76% of the reserved capacity under a new contract with Gazprom”, he wrote on Facebook. According to Makogon, the prepayment for February was made by the Russian side in full back in January. The advance payment for March, he added, has also already been credited to the accounts of the Ukrainian GTS Operator.

At the end of December 2019, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the EU signed a new transit gas contract for 5 years with the possibility of its extension until 2034. The document stipulates that the minimum guaranteed pumping of gas will be 65 billion cubic meters in the first year and 40 billion cubic meters in the next 4 years. The transit arrangement involves the “download or pay” principle, which was previously introduced into Ukrainian energy legislation in accordance with European standards.