Austrian oil and gas company OMV seized Russian gas as payment for an arbitration ruling, under which Gazprom was required to compensate 230 million euros.
This was reported to Reuters by five sources.
On November 13, OMV announced that it had won an arbitration case against Gazprom for 230 million euros over irregular gas deliveries to its German subsidiary and would take steps to immediately enforce the ruling. Three days later, Gazprom suspended gas supplies to the Austrian company.
According to three sources close to Gazprom and OMV, the Austrian company confiscated gas deliveries from October worth 230 million euros.
One of the sources close to Gazprom stated that this was the first time a European Union client had not paid for gas.
A source close to OMV mentioned that the company considered receiving the October gas deliveries from Gazprom as its last chance to secure payment from the arbitration ruling, in case Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas in January.
According to a source close to Gazprom, the Russian monopoly viewed the confiscation of gas as a non-payment and thus halted deliveries.
