Disagreements between Ukraine and Russia over natural gas transported through pipelines to Europe could disrupt gas supplies for the first time since the start of the war, writes Bloomberg.

The flow of Russian gas through one of the two key entry points will cease from Wednesday as Russian forces obstruct work, the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System Operator said in a statement. While it is claimed that the fuel can still be redirected to avoid disruptions, however PJSC Gazprom has stated that the switch is not possible due to the way its system works.

Russia routinely supplies gas through Ukraine despite the conflict, but initial orders show Wednesday's total transit shipments to be down 18% from a day earlier. The decline is likely to push European gas prices even higher.

Kyiv says the actions of Russian troops in the Lugansk region could lead to a halt in about a third of gas transit to Europe. The manager of Ukraine's gas network said he could not fulfill contractual obligations through the Sokhranivka border crossing, but said flows could be redirected through Sudzha.

A Gazprom spokesman said the company had been notified by Ukraine of the impending disruption, but had not received confirmation of force majeure. The company said that switching to Sudzha would be technically impossible.

European gas traders remain on edge even as prices have eased lately on the back of a steady stream of liquefied natural gas (LNG) arriving in the region and warmer weather. Last year, Russia provided about 40% of the European Union's gas demand, and about a third of that was sent through Ukraine, making it the linchpin of the continent's energy security.

The Ukrainian gas network said it could no longer accept Russian gas transit through Sokhranivka from 7 a.m. local time. Transit orders through this point have already fallen to zero on Wednesday, but flows through Sudzha will rise by 12% compared to the day before.

Sokhranivka and Sudzha are two key points on the border between Russia and Ukraine that receive flows from Gazprom for transit to Europe. As of Tuesday, 27% of the flows passed through Sokhranivka, the rest - through Sudzha.

Gazprom said that it sees no problems with the continuation of gas supplies through Ukraine as usual and fulfills all obligations to European customers.