TurkStream - the last remaining Russian gas pipeline to Europe - was created with the sole goal of transporting Russian gas without having to go through Ukraine.
This project has the help of many countries, including Bulgaria. But according to Bulgarian journalist Nikolay Lavchiev, writing on Transitions, while Moscow and close allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin benefit, Bulgaria is the country that suffers.
TurkStream was initially just one of many potential routes for Russian gas to Europe. But now, it is the only pipeline still operational after Ukraine completely blocked the transit of Russian gas from January 1, 2025.
Russian gas passes through Bulgaria but not for Bulgaria. It flows into Serbia, Hungary and from February 2025, to Slovakia - countries with pro-Russian stance. Ironically, Bulgaria spent nearly 1.5 billion euros in taxes from its people to build the pipeline in its territory, but failed to benefit.
On the other hand, Bulgaria is still carrying this investment debt, while the profit from transit fees is a national secret. The money collected is not transparent and is at risk of being interrupted by US sanctions on Gazprombank - a Russian bank that handles oil and gas payments.
TurkStream is not Russia's first attempt to avoid Ukraine when exporting gas. Nord Stream was launched in 2011 to transport gas directly from Russia to Germany. The South Stream project was also planned but was suspended by the European Union (EU) in 2014.
After that, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Putin announced TurkStream. The pipeline was not originally going through Bulgaria, but after the visit of then-burgerish Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to Moscow in 2018, the route "changed direction". By January 2020, the project officially came into operation.
The countries that benefit the most from TurkStream all have close relations with Russia. Serbia is completely dependent on Russian gas. Hungary has increased its gas imports from Russia to 7 billion cubic meters in 2024, mostly via TurkStream. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly opposed EU sanctions against Moscow. Slovakia is also a beneficiary of the TurkStream gas pipeline.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria - the country that paid for the pipeline - is not allowed to use gas from there, and is still paying the project 1.5 billion euros in transit fees for 10 years. However, if the Gazprombank sanctions come into effect from 20 March 2025, Bulgaria could lose this fee.
