Gazprom

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The Russians took "most" of a key eastern city

Russian forces are taking control of most of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, the regional governor said.

Russia's Gazprom announced on Tuesday that it was suspending gas supplies to the Danish company Orsted and Shell Energy under its gas supply contract with Germany. The reason is the refusal to pay for the raw material in Russian rubles, Reuters reported.

European Union leaders have agreed to ban more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports, tightening economic screws on the country even as Moscow's forces press their offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

"Bulgaria should close its ports and demand compensation from Gazprom for the suspended Russian gas" - this was called for by the fifth Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko in an interview with bTV.

The Russian government has authorized the temporary lifting of "mirror sanctions" and allowed for 90 days the flow of natural gas supplies from Yamal LNG to Gazprom Marketing & Trading Singapore Ltd, which is part of Gazprom Germany, shows a government decree on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

How will Europe pay for gas from Russia - in euros, dollars or rubles? In recent days, information has emerged that Germany and Italy have agreed to pay for Russian gas to Gazprom in rubles and will not stop their supplies. This is not true.

Fresh Start

A woman walks past electoral posters on her way to a poling station in Arce, Pri Velenju, Slovenia, 24 April 2022. Slovenia holds its Parliamentary elections to name a new Government and Parliament for next four years. EPA-EFE/ANTONIO BAT

In early March, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki condemned Russian energy imports, saying it was not only gas "but also the blood of innocent people" that was pouring through Russian pipelines to the West.

British energy giant Shell yesterday said its net profit jumped 26 percent in the first quarter as soaring oil prices offset a sizeable charge linked to its Russia exit.

Profit after tax leapt to $7.1 billion (6.7 billion euros) compared with a year earlier, Shell said in a statement.

Bulgaria will sign a contract for the design of a new gas interconnector with Serbia, it became clear during a regional energy meeting in Sofia.

It was attended by the Ministers of Energy of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and North Macedonia.

The key topic of discussion during the meeting was energy security and independence of the whole region.