ANKARA

Finland's energy company Gasum said Gazprom Export informed the wholesaler that natural gas supplies to Finland will be cut on Saturday.

The Finnish company said that starting from Saturday, Gasum will supply natural gas to its customers from other sources through the Balticconnector pipeline during the upcoming summer season.

Gasum also said its gas filling stations in the gas network area will continue to operate as usual.

"It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted. However, we have been carefully preparing for this situation and provided that there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network, we will be able to supply all our customers with gas in the coming months," said Gasum's CEO Mika Wiljanen.

At the end of April, Russia's Gazprom halted gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria, saying it would keep supplies switched off until the two countries paid their dues in rubles.

Energy supply concerns have increased in Europe since the Russia-Ukraine war started on Feb. 24. According to experts, Moscow uses energy as a political tool to manipulate importing countries to decrease their opposition levels against Russia's war on Ukraine.