Kyiv has finally turned off Russia’s gas supply to Europe, ending a source of income that helped pay for Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The decades-old deal, which allowed the transit of natural gas produced by Russian energy giant Gazprom through Ukraine, ended at midnight on December 31, shutting down Russia’s last major gas corridor to Europe.

Russia continues to suffer military defeats in the strategically vital Black Sea, one of Moscow's most crucial avenues for political and economic influence into the Mediterranean and beyond. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.

Moldovans are bracing for a difficult winter ahead as a looming energy shortage could leave them without enough energy.

Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom says it will halt gas supplies to Moldova starting on Jan. 1, citing alleged unpaid debt by the east European country.

Even while at war, Ukraine piped Russian gas to Europe. Moscow earned an estimated $5 billion in 2024, while Ukraine raked in up to $1 billion in fees.

The Russian gas company Gazprom on Saturday said it will no longer supply natural gas to Moldova in the new year, blaming the country's alleged debts. Gazprom said the country's gas company Moldovagaz "regularly fails to fulfil its payment obligations under the existing contract,

Gazprom said Moldovagaz “regularly fails to fulfill its payment obligations under the existing contract, which is a significant breach of its terms.”View on euronews

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram: "When Putin was handed power in Russia over 25 years ago, the annual gas pumping through Ukraine to Europe stood at over 130 billion cubic meters. Today, the transit of Russian gas is 0. This is one of Moscow's biggest defeats."

Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, as well as Moldova, are reliant on the steady flow of energy through Ukraine. Now that that is no longer possible, the only route remaining into Europe from Russia is via the TurkStream pipeline and the BlueSteam pipeline, under the Black Sea.

Ukraine hailed the end of the gas transit deal amid Russia's invasion. But Russia said European living standards will suffer.

The suspension of Russian gas supplies to the unrecognised republic of Transnistria in Moldova has resulted in the closure of all industrial facilities except those involved in food production. Source: Reuters,