It costs $1 billion a year to operate Ukraine’s east-west gas transmission system

, Serhiy Makogon, head of the pipeline operating company, writes on Facebook. “The Ukrainian GTS is a very complex, powerful and unique infrastructure that requires significant funds for daily operation,” he writes. Without long-term transit contracts the system becomes economically unviable, he writes. The Russian contract expires in 2024. In the late 2020s, part of the system could be used to transport hydrogen to the EU.