MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian energy giant Gazprom ( MCX: ) said on Wednesday that gas exports through Ukraine to Europe were halted from 08:00 Moscow time (0500 GMT) as the transit deal is over.

The closure of Russia’s oldest gas route to Europe ends a decade of fraught relations sparked by Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Russia still exports gas through the TurkStream pipeline on the Black Sea bed.

The European Union has redoubled its efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy after the outbreak of military conflict in Ukraine in 2022 by seeking alternative sources.

The five-year gas transit deal between Russia and Ukraine expired in the early hours of January 1, 2025, as Kyiv repeatedly said it would not extend the agreement amid the war.

“Due to the repeated and clearly stated refusal of the Ukrainian side to renew these agreements, Gazprom is deprived of the technical and legal ability to supply gas for transit on the territory of Ukraine from January 1 , 2025,” Gazprom said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

“Starting at 08:00 Moscow time, the gas supply to Russia for its transportation through the territory of Ukraine is not made.”