Naftogaz realized that without Russian gas Ukraine would fail
Ukraine could have gone through this winter without purchasing from Gazprom, but unexpected frosts prevented this.
Dmitry Marunich, an energy expert, stated this on the NewsOne TV channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“If it weren’t for the cold weather, we would have made it through, there are sufficient gas reserves. Problems with lifting gas from storage facilities. These risks were understandable. It is not clear why this happened in the third year. Last year the stocks were smaller. [head of Naftogaz] Kobolev sat and looked at European quotes and gas consumption. He understood that by March 1, without Russian gas, there would be a shortage. They didn’t want to buy European gas - prices there rose to a thousand dollars,” Marunich noted.
Naftogaz has realized that Ukraine is doomed without Russian gas.