“gazprom” May Lose Its Last Foothold in Europe

The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has officially accepted a letter of intent from the American company AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, which outlines plans to build the Southern Interconnection gas pipeline. The pipeline will connect the country to a liquefied natural gas terminal on the Croatian island of Krk. This will create an alternative to the Turkish Stream, which currently has a monopoly on gas supplies to BiH, and that gas is russian.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s diversification of risks through a potential American gas pipeline would also deprive russia’s “gazprom” of its monopoly in the region and another share of the stable European market. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with a project cost of $200 million. The American company also proposes to build a gas-fired power plant, expand the Kladan-Tuzla pipeline, and modernize airports in Sarajevo and Mostar.

Before the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine (2021), russia supplied approximately 157 billion cubic meters of gas to EU countries, accounting for up to 45% of European gas imports. As of the end of 2025, according to European Commission estimates, the share of russian blue fuel barely reaches 13%, or 18 billion cubic meters.

From 2021 to 2024, russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine decreased from 40 billion to 17 billion cubic meters, and ceased completely on January 1, 2025.

Supplies to Germany via Nord Stream in 2021 – 59.2 billion cubic meters – were stopped in 2022.

European imports of fuel via the yamal-Europe gas pipeline in 2021 amounted to 31 billion cubic meters, and were halted in 2022.

In addition, on February 3, 2026, a decision came into force on the EU’s complete giving up imports of russian gas from 2027.