Ukraine launches limited natural gas exports to Europe, boosting Hungarian supplies

The conflict reduced Ukraine’s industrial gas consumption, yet extraction stayed near previous levels and storage filled to roughly a third of capacity, creating surplus gas. In October the government authorised private gas companies to sell a portion of this output on the European market, marking the first export since the Russian invasion began in 2022. Restrictions apply only to privately owned producers, so the exported volumes are limited but significant for Hungary, where they supplied a visible portion of gas imports in September after a long lull.

State-owned MVM does not import Ukrainian gas, so the new flow does not impact its supply chain. Most of the gas is expected to be traded on the broader European market before reaching end-users, and the move could attract further investment in Ukraine’s gas sector if the war ends.