Russian gas exports through Soviet-era pipelines running through Ukraine were halted on New Year's Day, marking the end of Moscow's decades-long dominance of Europe's energy markets after Ukraine refused to extend a pre-war agreement that expired.

The former Soviet Union and later Russia had a long time to dominate the European gas market, reaching about 35 percent at its peak. But the EU has reduced its reliance on Russian energy since the start of the war in Ukraine by buying from Norway, Qatar and the United States.

Decision taken in the interest of national security: Ukraine

Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed this on Wednesday morning, saying that Kiev has stopped the flow of gas in the interest of national security. This decision will cause Ukraine to lose $800 million a year in transit fees from Russia, while Russian company Gazprom will lose $5 billion. Currently, Russian gas accounts for about eight percent of Europe's supplies.

Supply was done through four pipelines

The gas was being supplied via four pipelines: one under the Baltic Sea, through Belarus and Poland, one through Ukraine and one under the Black Sea from Turkiye to Bulgaria. After the war began, Russia shut down most supplies through the Baltic and Belarus-Poland pipelines following disputes over demands for payment in rubles.

Two killed in Russian drone attack on Kyiv

Russia attacked Kiev with drones on Wednesday on the occasion of New Year. Two people were killed and six others were injured in this. Buildings were also damaged in the attack. Ukraine said that 63 of the 111 drones were destroyed. 46 were jammed electronically.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to the US for its support and expressed confidence in the ability of President-elect Donald Trump to achieve peace and end Putin's aggression. He said that peace cannot be achieved without stopping aggression.