European countries consumed a total of 18.7 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas in 2013, of which 5.7 tcf came from Russia. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has recently released its finding that of the 5.7 tcf gas that flows to Europe from Russia, 3 tcf flowed through the Ukrainian pipeline networks.
Major natural gas pipelines flowing through Ukraine
There are primarily three pipeline systems that carry Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine. The first of these is the Bratstvo (Brotherhood) pipeline which is the largest pipeline to Europe. "It crosses from Ukraine to Slovakia and splits in two to supply northern and southern European countries," reports the EIA.
The second major pipeline between Russia and Western Europe is the...

