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Russian Gas Flows East via Yamal-Europe Pipeline for Fifth Day

A worker checks pipes at a gas compressor station on the Yamal-Europe pipeline near Nesvizh, some 130 km (81 miles) southwest of Minsk December 29, 2006.REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
A worker checks pipes at a gas compressor station on the Yamal-Europe pipeline near Nesvizh, some 130 km (81 miles) southwest of Minsk December 29, 2006.REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
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Russian Gas Flows East via Yamal-Europe Pipeline for Fifth Day

A worker checks pipes at a gas compressor station on the Yamal-Europe pipeline near Nesvizh, some 130 km (81 miles) southwest of Minsk December 29, 2006.REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
A worker checks pipes at a gas compressor station on the Yamal-Europe pipeline near Nesvizh, some 130 km (81 miles) southwest of Minsk December 29, 2006.REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

The Yamal-Europe pipeline that usually sends Russian gas to Western Europe was operating in a reverse mode for a fifth day on Saturday, shipping fuel from Germany to Poland, data from German network operator Gascade showed.

Russian gas exporter Gazprom did not book gas transit capacity for exports via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for Sunday as well, auction results showed.

European gas prices climbed to a record high this week after Yamal switched direction but eased on Friday.

Russia said the flow reversal was not a political move, though it coincides with rising tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the reversal was because of a lack of requests from buyers, Reuters reported.

Putin also said on Friday that Russia was "sidelined" by Poland in managing the pipeline and Europe had only itself to blame for soaring gas prices.

Flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German-Polish border were going east into Poland at an hourly volume of more than 1.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh/h) on Saturday and were expected to stay at these levels during the day, the data shows.

Putin has also said that Germany was reselling Russian gas to Poland and Ukraine rather than relieving an overheated market.

Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov told the NTV channel that the company was ready to supply additional gas within its long-term contracts, which would be cheaper than short-term deals concluded on European spot market.

Reverse flows from Germany to Poland - and probably to Ukraine as well - stand at between 3 million cubic metres (mcm) and 5 mcm per day, he said, reiterating that accusations that Gazprom was undersupplying gas are "groundless".

Kupriyanov added that the gas is being taken off underground storage facilities that are already depleted.

Data from Slovak pipeline operator Eustream showed capacity nominations for Saturday's Russian gas flows from Ukraine to Slovakia via the Velke Kapusany border point were at 747,031 megawatt hours (MWh), slightly up from Friday's 739,843 MWh but below levels in recent weeks.

That drop was being balanced by higher nominations for flows from the Czech Republic to Slovakia, meaning that nominations for flows from Slovakia to Austrian hub Baumgarten were roughly stable compared with levels in recent days and weeks.

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Zelenskiy Says Chinese Citizens Working at Drone Production Site in Russia 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Says Chinese Citizens Working at Drone Production Site in Russia 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2025. (Reuters)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Chinese citizens were working at a drone production site in Russia and suggested that Moscow may have "stolen" drone technology from China.

The Ukrainian leader made the comment at a news conference in Kyiv days after he said China was supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia, the first time he has accused Beijing of direct military aid to Moscow, something China staunchly denies.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Shengkun and expressed Ukraine's "serious concerns" over Chinese involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy, in suggesting that Russia may have obtained drone technology from China without Beijing actually knowing, appeared to be softening his tone towards China, which casts itself as neutral on the war.

The flurry of Ukrainian allegations directed at China, the world's second largest economy, in recent days has been particularly striking at a sensitive moment for Kyiv in the US-led diplomatic effort to end the war.

Zelenskiy said earlier this month that Russia was recruiting Chinese nationals via social media to fight in its armed forces and that Beijing officials were aware of that. He added that Kyiv was trying to assess whether the recruits were receiving instructions from Beijing.

China has reaffirmed its support for peace efforts in Ukraine and said relevant parties should avoid "irresponsible remarks," in an apparent jab at Zelenskiy's comment about Chinese citizens fighting there for Russia.

Zelenskiy told reporters on Tuesday that he had instructed officials to send information to the Chinese government through official channels on its findings.

"Separately, I asked the Security Service of Ukraine to transfer information of a broader nature to the Chinese side regarding Chinese citizens who work at the drone factory," he said.

"We believe that it may be that Russia stole - made an agreement with these citizens outside the agreements with the Chinese leadership - stole these technologies."

A Foreign Ministry statement said Ukraine expressed "serious concerns about the facts of the participation of Chinese citizens in military action against Ukraine on the side of the aggressor-state and also the involvement of Chinese companies in the manufacture in Russia of military goods."

It said Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis "called on the Chinese side to take measures to stop supporting Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, the absence of which has been repeatedly stated by Beijing".

China's foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated that China is firmly opposed to "groundless accusations and political manipulation" when asked about the latest Ukrainian claims.

There was no immediate comment on any of the Ukrainian statements from Russia.

China and Russia declared a "no limits" strategic partnership days before Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.