Kazakhstan Court Clears Path for Naftogaz to Pursue Gazprom Assets Over $1.4Bln Award

May 21, 2026

Russia’s state-controlled gas giant Gazprom could face the seizure of assets in Kazakhstan after a court there authorized Ukraine’s Naftogaz to enforce a $1.4 billion arbitration award, marking the first publicly known foreign ruling allowing the company to pursue the judgment in another jurisdiction.

The decision adds pressure on Gazprom as it faces a growing wave of legal claims from former European partners over disrupted gas deliveries and alleged breaches of contract since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Reuters calculations, claims against Gazprom from former counterparties have reached at least 19.5 billion euros.

This is the first public foreign court decision that allows the enforcement of this arbitration award in a separate jurisdiction, Naftogaz said in a statement Wednesday.

Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi said that the Ukrainian energy company would continue efforts to recover the amount from Gazprom in other jurisdictions.

The dispute stems from a 2019 contract covering Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, gas transit through the Sokhranivka distribution station in the eastern Luhansk region was suspended, though deliveries continued through the Sudzha entry point.

Naftogaz argued that Gazprom subsequently failed to fully pay for services required under the transit agreement and initiated arbitration proceedings in Switzerland in September 2022.

Arbitrators ordered Gazprom to pay Naftogaz $1.4 billion in unpaid gas transportation fees and cover legal costs in June 2025.

Gazprom sought to overturn the ruling, but Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court upheld the award in March 2026, making the decision final.

The Kazakhstan ruling potentially opens a path for Naftogaz to target Gazprom assets in countries where the Russian company maintains operations or holdings.

Gazprom has faced mounting legal pressure from former European customers and partners since Russia sharply curtailed gas exports to Europe following the outbreak of the war.

Among the companies that have filed claims against Gazprom are Finland’s Gasum, France’s Engie, Italy’s Eni, Slovakia’s ZSE Energia and Austria’s OMV.

Legal action has also been brought by Germany’s RWE and Unipro, the Czech Republic’s Net4Gas and Innogy Energie, the Netherlands’ Gasunie Transport Services and BBL Company V.O.F., Switzerland’s DXT Commodities and Greece’s DEPA.

Read this article in Russian at The Moscow Times' Russian service.

Read more about: Gazprom , Kazakhstan , Ukraine war , Energy , Gas , Business

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