MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russian gas transports to Europe are continuing uninterrupted, despite the pipeline explosion in Poltava Region, Gazprom said Wednesday.
“Despite the accident, transit through Ukraine continues uninterrupted, approximately 185 million cubic meters per day,” Gazprom said on its Twitter.
“It’s not the only accident in Ukraine’s gas system, there might be more. The pipeline needs to be maintained in working condition. It’s getting older and at some point fractures develop,” Gazprom Deputy CEO Vitaly Markelov said.
Earlier, The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said the explosion on the Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline on Tuesday was caused by a fracture in a pipe leading to a subsequent gas leak and fire. Emergency teams have isolated the affected part of the pipeline and rerouted gas flow to a parallel pipeline. The blast has not affected the transport of gas to Europe, Ukraine’s gas transmission company Ukrtransgas said Tuesday.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry earlier reported it was considering several versions of what happened, including a terrorist attack. A criminal case has been opened.
The Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline is a Russian-Ukrainian gas export pipeline connecting the gas fields of northern West Siberia to consumers in Europe.
