Russia began 2006 by cutting off natural gas exports to Ukraine after its government refused to pay a fourfold increase in the subsidized price. The crisis in Ukraine, many of whose Soviet-era industries depend on cheap Russian gas, soon spread to Europe, which consumes 80% of Russian gas exports, when Ukraine began to divert gas from the pipeline that crosses its territory.
2006年新年伊始，俄罗斯在乌克兰政府拒绝支付四倍于天然气补贴价格后，切断了向该国的天然气出口。乌克兰众多的后苏联时代产业依赖于廉价的俄罗斯天然气，而欧洲则消费俄罗斯80％的天然气出口。当乌克兰开始从跨越本国领土的管道中分流天然气之时，这场危机马上波及到了欧洲。