Live updates | Pipeline operator to stop natural gas flow

Ukraine’s natural gas pipeline operator said it would stop Russian shipments through its Novopskov hub in a part of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.

It said the hub handles about a third of the Russian gas passing through the country to Western Europe, although Russia’s state-owned natural gas giant Gazprom put the figure at about a quarter.

The operator, which also complained about interference along the route last month, said it will stop the flow starting Wednesday because of interference from “occupying forces,” including the apparent siphoning of gas. It said Russia could reroute affected shipments through Ukraine’s other main hub, Sudzha, in a northern part of the country controlled by Ukraine.

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said Ukraine’s rerouting request would be “technologically impossible” and that the company sees no grounds for Ukraine’s decision.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

— US, Western Europe fret over uncertain Ukraine war endgame

— Ukrainians make gains in east, hold on at Mariupol mill

— Fighters appeal for evacuation of wounded from Mariupol mill

— House approves $40B in Ukraine aid, beefing up Biden request

— Leonid Kravchuk, independent Ukraine’s 1st president, dies

— Ambassador nominee for Ukraine seeks quick embassy reopening

— Follow all AP stories on Russia’s war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

The British military says Ukraine’s targeting of Russian forces on Snake Island in the Black Sea is helping disrupt Moscow’s attempts to expand its influence in the Black Sea.

In a daily intelligence briefing...