Russian gas flows to Europe continue amid calls for new sanctions

Although European leaders have called for new sanctions against Moscow after evidence showed that at least 410 bodies were found in mass graves in towns surrounding Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the area, Russian gas continued to follow into Europe on Monday.

According to Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom, Russian natural gas flows to Europe will continue in line with requests from European consumers.

Data from Germany’s operator Gascade showed that Eastbound flows into Poland from Germany along the Yamal-Europe pipeline resumed over the weekend, and deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany and Slovakia’s Velke Kapusany remained steady on Monday.

Concerns remain, however, if Russian gas will continue if European leaders continue to refuse the Kremlin’s demand for energy payments to be made in rubles – especially after Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced over the weekend that his country will follow Europe’s lead against such demands.  

Russian flows could also be disrupted by calls for a new round of sanctions against Moscow after reports of possible war crimes emerged on Sunday following the discovery of hundreds of bodies – often bound and shot at close range – in towns like Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv.

According to Ukraine's top prosecutor Iryna Venedyktova, mass graves and at least 410 bodies were discovered after Russian forces withdrew from the area – a claim that the Kremlin has since denied, instead charging European outlets with staging a performance for Western media audiences.

German officials led the Western charge on Sunday and said that European governments would agree to impose more sanctions on Moscow in the coming days, adding pressure to a Russian economy that is facing the gravest crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences" of their actions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement to reporters.

French President Emmanuel Macron also pushed for new sanctions on Monday for what his government has qualified as war crimes.

"There are very clear clues pointing to war crimes. It is more or less established that the Russian army is responsible for the Bucha killings," Macron told France Inter radio, adding that, "What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear measures.”

Although Russia currently provides Europe with upwards of 40% of its natural gas imports, European nations are scrambling to find ways to end their reliability on Moscow.

Lithuania recently became the first European nation to announce that it will no longer import Russian gas to meet its domestic needs – a move which is expected to be followed by several Western partners, ABC News reported.