Russia’s daily pipeline gas exports to Europe via TurkStream rose 3% in May

Russia’s pipeline gas exports to Europe rose in May, with Gazprom’s average daily supplies via the TurkStream offshore route increasing to 47.4 million cubic metres, according to the reporting in the cluster. That represented a 3% increase from the previous month, even as Europe’s broader gas market remains reshaped by the war in Ukraine and efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

The increase underscores how TurkStream has become the main remaining conduit for Russian pipeline gas to Europe after most other routes were cut or sharply reduced. The system carries gas across the Black Sea to Turkey and then onward to southeastern Europe, making it strategically important for countries that still buy Russian pipeline fuel.

The May rise also comes against a mixed economic backdrop for Russia. Separate S&P Global surveys reported by Asharq Al-Awsat said Russian manufacturing contraction slowed in May to its weakest pace in three months, while Turkish manufacturing neared stability and posted its first export growth in 21 months. Those reports suggest some near-term resilience in parts of the regional industrial economy, even as manufacturing conditions remained weak.

For Europe, the gas figures matter because they show that Russian flows have not disappeared entirely, despite years of sanctions pressure and supply diversification. The countries most exposed to these deliveries are in southeastern Europe, where TurkStream remains a crucial source of pipeline gas and where any change in volumes can affect pricing, storage decisions and winter planning.

The latest increase does not by itself signal a full recovery in Russian gas sales to Europe. It does, however, indicate that remaining pipeline ties continue to generate revenue for Gazprom and keep a limited energy link between Russia and the European market in place.

What happens next will depend on demand in Europe, transit arrangements through Turkey, and whether Gazprom can maintain or expand flows on the TurkStream route. For now, the May data show a modest rebound, not a return to the large-scale exports that once defined Russia’s gas trade with Europe.