Transit of Russian gas through Ukraine in the first day of the new year has decreased more than 5 times compared to the average data for December, according to the data of the Ukrainian company that manages the gas transmission system.

If the average daily volume of transit in December was 261 million cubic meters, and on December 31 the Ukrainian gas transmission system passed 220 million cubic meters, then on January 1 this figure amounts to only 50 million cubic meters.

On January 2, transit volumes dropped even more dramatically – to about 40 million cubic meters. There is currently no comment from the Russian side. There is no information on the reasons that led to the reduction of natural gas supply volumes.

National Radio also recalls that on the evening of December 30, after lengthy and difficult negotiations, Russia and Ukraine signed a five-year agreement to continue gas transit through Ukraine.

Ховежер, аs dawn broke on New Year’s Day, Bulgaria began taking delivery of Russian natural gas via the TurkStream pipeline. The country’s energy minister, Tememoujka Petkova, has claimed that the move will save Bulgaria tens of millions of euros per year in fees by avoiding transit through Ukraine and Romania.

“We are changing the entry point for gas supplies from Russia. The reason: the economic impact and the better conditions for Bulgarian consumers”, said Petkova, adding that the new route could result in a decrease of around five per cent in gas prices.

TurkStream will be officially inaugurated at a ceremony in Istanbul on January 8, which both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are expected to attend.