War in Ukraine | Russia cuts gas to Poland and Bulgaria

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who resents continued Western support for Ukraine’s military, cut off gas to two European states on Wednesday amid fears of a widening conflict in Moldova .

Marc Thibodeau
The Press

Poland and Bulgaria targeted

Russia went from words to deeds on Wednesday by interrupting its gas exports to Poland and Bulgaria, prompting an outcry from European authorities, who speak of a form of “blackmail” aimed at limiting the support of the countries of the region to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained the initiative by pointing out that these two countries had refused to comply with a decree by President Vladimir Putin requiring that payments for hydrocarbons be made in rubles. He asserted that Russia remained a “reliable supplier” in the energy field, but that it would not hesitate to use the same approach if other States refused in turn to comply with its demands.

The neighbors of the EU solicited

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has claimed that Russia’s aim is to “sow division among member countries” of the European Union (EU) and thereby undermine their concerted response to the invasion of Ukraine. She said Poland and Bulgaria, which blasted the Russian move, would be supplied with gas “by their EU neighbours” until further notice. The situation risks becoming more complicated if the measure is extended since several countries in the region remain heavily dependent on Russian hydrocarbons, which provide Moscow with daily revenues of nearly a billion dollars. The Ukrainian government indicated on Wednesday that it was necessary to impose an embargo on Russia’s oil and gas exports to deprive the country of its “energy weapon”, an option rejected in particular by Germany, which is demanding more time to seek new sources of supply.

The threat of force

While making his wrath felt on the economic level, Vladimir Putin again warned on Wednesday the countries supporting Ukraine, which are increasing the shipment of heavy weapons in the hope of curbing the advance of Russian troops in the region. of Donbass. During a speech delivered in Saint Petersburg, the head of the Kremlin warned that any attempt at interference from outside representing “unacceptable strategic risks” for Russia would receive a response “at lightning speed”. He specified that the Russian soldiers would not hesitate to use “the most modern armament” in such a context, without specifying his thoughts on this subject. The Russian Ministry of Defense also claimed to have destroyed large quantities of foreign arms and ammunition transported by the United States and European countries thanks to missile strikes on the city of Zaporizhya, in the south of the country. ‘Ukraine.

Risk of destabilization

The situation remained tense on Wednesday in Moldova, which fears that the conflict will spill over within its borders. The leaders of the secessionist region of Transnistria, which permanently host 1,500 Russian soldiers on their territory, said that a village where there was a large stock of armaments had been attacked in the morning by Ukrainian aircraft. They had also denounced a Ukrainian intervention in the previous days after a series of explosions targeting in particular a transmission tower and a military unit had been noted. In an analysis released Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says the alleged attacks may in fact be Russian staged “aimed at setting the stage for additional actions” by Russia in the region, including sending reinforcements. Justin Massie, a specialist in defense and security issues attached to the University of Quebec in Montreal, notes that Russian troops could potentially be used to support an attack on the Ukrainian port of Odessa from the northwest in support of the units trying, so far without success, to come from the east. The logistical difficulties observed since the start of the invasion suggest that the Russian army would have great difficulty in rapidly reinforcing the contingent already present in Transnistria, estimates the analyst.

Progress in the Donbass, the deadlock in Mariupol

The Russian army is continuing its efforts in eastern Ukraine with the declared aim of controlling the whole of Donbass. The ISW notes in an analysis published on Tuesday that the troops coming from the north, from the city of Izium, have advanced in the past few days, taking advantage of the absence of well-organized defensive positions on the Ukrainian side. The institute notes that progress is much more modest along the much better protected “line of contact”, which separated before the invasion the Ukrainian forces from the positions of pro-Russian separatist rebels who rose in 2014. The situation remains also blocked in Mariupol, where clashes continue between Russian and Ukrainian forces for control of the Azovstal metallurgical complex despite assurances from Vladimir Putin that the southern city of the country has been “liberated”. A Ukrainian commander said on Facebook that more than 600 injured civilians and fighters remained at the scene, without access to adequate care, and that food and water were running out.

With Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press