Ukraine steps up security measures at GTS sites amid conflict with Gazprom

Naftogaz Chief Commercial Officer Yuriy Vitrenko has said Ukraine stepped up security measures of its gas transmission system (GTS) infrastructure in the wake of another round of energy conflict with Russia's Gazprom.

"All critical infrastructure facilities are well protected now, including by the National Guard," Vitrenko told a press conference on March 5, the Ukrainian economic news outlet Ekonomichna Pravda reported.

Read alsoUkraine's Naftogaz may sue Gazprom, againThe official recalled the situation where explosions rocked gas pipelines in Turkmenistan during the country's conflict with the Russian energy giant.

As UNIAN reported earlier, after Gazprom lost a gas dispute with Naftogaz at the Stockholm Arbitration, being obliged to pay the Ukrainian company $2.56 billion, the Russian company first agreed to deliver in March to Ukraine 500 million cubic meters of gas at prices determined by court, but then (on March 1, 15 minutes before the expected start of supply) suddenly refused to fulfill its contractual obligations and lowered to a critical level the pressure at the entrance to the Ukrainian GTS on the country's eastern border.

Naftogaz called such actions by Gazprom a failure to fulfill the court's award and blamed the Russian company for gas shortage in Ukraine's GTS.

Read alsoRussia's Gazprom officially informs Naftogaz about proceedings to terminate gas contractsTo overcome the crisis, the Cabinet of Ministers on March 2 introduced restrictions on gas consumption, while Naftogaz made an emergency purchase of 60 million cubic meters from the Polish company PGNiG.

On March 2, Gazprom announced its intention to terminate all existing contracts with Natfogaz. The Russian company argued that the Stockholm arbitration was allegedly guided by double standards, while the court's decision violated the interests of the parties.

In response, Naftogaz noted that the Ukrainian company did not see any grounds for terminating the gas transit contract.