Russian natural gas shipments to Europe through the TurkStream pipeline declined in April, with average daily export volumes falling compared both to the previous month and the same period last year. Preliminary market calculations showed that daily flows dropped to around 41 million cubic meters, marking a year-on-year decrease of approximately 1.7 %. Compared with March, export volumes were lower by more than 25 %.
The decline comes amid heightened volatility in global energy markets, largely driven by disruptions connected to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important corridors for oil and liquefied natural gas transport. Growing concerns over potential supply risks contributed to stronger gas prices across international energy markets.
Following the expiration of the Russia–Ukraine gas transit agreement at the start of 2025, Turkey has remained the only active transit corridor for Russian pipeline gas supplies destined for European consumers. The TurkStream system extends roughly 930 kilometers beneath the Black Sea, connecting Russia’s coast near Anapa with Kiyikoy in northwestern Turkey before continuing through Balkan pipeline infrastructure toward Central and Western Europe.
The pipeline’s total annual transport capacity stands at 31.5 billion cubic meters. Around half of that volume is allocated to the Turkish domestic market, while the remaining capacity is reserved for exports to European countries.
According to data compiled from the European transmission system operators’ network ENTSOG, total Russian gas deliveries to Europe via TurkStream reached approximately 1.23 billion cubic meters in April, slightly below the 1.25 billion cubic meters recorded during the same month last year.
Despite weaker April figures, cumulative exports during the first four months of the year increased by around 7.3 % compared with the same period in 2025, reaching nearly 6.2 billion cubic meters.
Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe have experienced a sharp decline in recent years. Market estimates indicate that deliveries fell by roughly 44 % last year to around 18 billion cubic meters, marking the lowest export level since the 1970s following the shutdown of the Ukrainian transit route. By comparison, Russian gas exports to Europe had peaked at nearly 180 billion cubic meters annually during 2018 and 2019.
