Russian energy giant Gazprom issued a statement on Wednesday saying it had stopped sending natural gas through Ukraine. Russian gas had been flowing to Europe via Ukraine despite Russia's invasion of the country in 2022.

Gazprom blamed the stoppage on Ukraine for refusing to extend the gas transit deal. Its statement says in part that "Gazprom has been deprived of any technical and legal possibility of supplying gas for transit across Ukraine starting from January 1, 2025."

Ukraine also announced on Wednesday that it had halted transit of gas from Russia.

Kyiv had previously announced it would refuse to renew the contract and cut off the flow of gas through Ukraine to choke off a source of revenue for Moscow.

Russian media quoted an expert who suggested increasing gas transits through Turkey and Bulgaria could partially offset the Ukrainian cutoff.

But Reuters News Agency reported that importers will have to pay higher fees for alternative routes.