MOSCOW, August 9 Stock exchange prices for gas in Europe, amid concerns about gas transit from Russia through Ukraine, have reached a new high for the year, exceeding $460 per thousand cubic meters. The upward trend may continue, according to data from the London ICE exchange and the opinions of analysts.
September (nearest) futures on the TTF index (Europe's largest hub, located in the Netherlands) opened trading at 9.00 Moscow time at $455 (+0.5%) per thousand cubic meters. As of 17.40 Moscow time, their cost is $458.9 (+1.4%). And minutes earlier they reached $460.3 (+1.7%). The dynamics of quotes are based on the settlement price of the previous trading day — $452.8 per thousand cubic meters. It reached its maximum since December 1 last year. 
< br />The supply route via the Sudzha gas metering station in the Kursk region is currently the only one for gas transit through Ukraine to Europe. Gazprom supplied about 14.9 billion cubic meters via this route last year, which, according to Eurostat, was about 4.5% of EU consumption. And if the pipeline near the city of Sudzha is damaged, this will significantly affect gas supplies to Europe, so the market will have to react to such news, experts from the trading company Energi Danmark noted the day before.
Gazprom official representative Sergey Kupriyanov asked who benefits from the sharp jump in prices for natural gas and LNG in Europe due to the events in the Sudzha region. Also, the planned scheduled maintenance work at Norwegian gas industry facilities may be a significant factor, he noted. «According to analysts, it is possible that these works may be delayed, as happened last year. Analysts also believe that the upward trend in gas prices will continue,» Kupriyanov was quoted as saying on Gazprom's Telegram channel. 
«Nerves are still getting the better of the market, as concerns remain around gas supplies from Russia via Ukraine to Sudzha… Prices for individual contracts are now again reaching recent highs and the psychological mark of 40 euros per MWh (above $450 per thousand cubic meters — ed.)… for contracts for the next month,» noted an expert from the energy consulting company Auxilione.
Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said that on August 6 at 5.30 a.m., units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces numbering up to a thousand people went on the offensive with the aim of capturing territory in the Sudzhansky District of the Kursk Region. Their advance into Russian territory has been stopped, he said. Also on Tuesday, the border town of Sudzha was subjected to repeated massive shelling from Ukraine. Active military operations are underway in the Sudzhansky district, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday.