Russia’s gas exports to Europe fall to lowest level in 50 years

Russia’s pipeline gas exports to Europe fell sharply by 44% in 2025, reaching their lowest levels since the mid-1970s, according to Reuters calculations released on December 30.

The decline follows the closure of the Ukrainian transit route and the European Union’s ongoing phase-out of Russian fossil fuel imports.

The EU has pledged to stop importing Russian gas by the end of 2027, aiming to reduce dependence on Moscow and to cut funding for its military campaign in Ukraine.

Historically, Europe was Russia’s largest source of budget revenues from oil and gas, with pipeline infrastructure dating back to the Soviet era of the 1960s and 1970s. Russian exports peaked at over 175–180 billion cubic metres per year in 2018–2019, generating tens of billions for Gazprom and the Russian state, which holds a controlling stake in the company.

This year, Gazprom’s pipeline deliveries to Europe totaled just 18 billion cubic metres, routed exclusively through the TurkStream undersea pipeline, according to Reuters data derived from the European gas transmission group Entsog. This marks the lowest volume since the early 1970s, when Soviet exports stood at 19.3 bcm in 1975.

TurkStream remains the only Russian gas transit route to Europe after Ukraine declined to renew a five-year transit deal that expired on January 1, 2025. Countries receiving gas through TurkStream include Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Türkiye.

Despite the steep drop, TurkStream shipments to Europe in December increased 12.9% compared with the same month last year, reaching about 56 million cubic metres per day, and were 3% higher than in November. Overall, exports via TurkStream rose approximately 7% in 2025 compared with 16.8 bcm in 2024. Combined with the Ukrainian route, Russian pipeline exports to Europe totaled 32 bcm in 2024, up 13% from 2023.

Gazprom continues to supply around 20 bcm annually to Türkiye via TurkStream, while Europe increasingly relies on LNG imports, with the United States now its largest supplier after Russia.

By Vugar Khalilov