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North Macedonia reduces Russian gas imports for political reasons — Russian ambassador

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · · 177 words
Energy Dependency EU Influence Diplomatic Relations
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Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zykov stated that North Macedonia has been reducing its reliance on Russian gas imports since 2022. Zykov argues that this shift is a political decision aligned with EU policy rather than an economic or technical one.

Propaganda risk 40%
Claims checked 4
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

North Macedonia has been reducing Russian gas imports since 2022 against its own interests, new Russian Ambassador in Skopje Dmitry Zykov told TASS in his first interview.

Why it matters

"The issue of rejecting Russian gas imports is not the issue of the technical possibility of securing alternatives or cost efficiency but a purely political issue.

Common ground

Is the Balkan nation to blindly follow the EU policy on this issue - the rejection of Russian gas in 2027?

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zykov stated that North Macedonia has been reducing its reliance on Russian gas imports since 2022. Zykov argues that this shift is a political decision aligned with EU policy rather than an economic or technical one.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/politics/2125647

analyticsAnalysis

40%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Moderate concerns. Notable use of persuasive or loaded language.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Oversimplification 80% confidence
Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
info
Claim 1: “While its share in physical supplies to the Macedonian market was 99% in 2021, then in 2024 - 77%, and just 47% in 2025.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific percentages (99% in 2021, 77% in 2024, 47% in 2025) are provided exclusively by the TASS report quoting Ambassador Dmitry Zykov. No other independent sources confirm these figures.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — North Macedonia,[c] officially the Republic of North Macedonia,[d] is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the ea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Macedonia
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "North Macedonia is taking purposeful steps to reduce imports of Russian natural gas in recent years," Zykov noted. "While its share in physical supplies to the Macedonian market was 99% in 2021, then…
https://tass.com/politics/2125647
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This shift away from Russian gas is made possible mainly thanks to a sharp increase in LNG imports from other countries and an overall reduction in gas consumption in the EU. The chart below shows the…
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/where-does-t…
info
Claim 2: “North Macedonia has been reducing Russian gas imports since 2022”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is explicitly stated in a TASS report quoting the Russian Ambassador to North Macedonia, Dmitry Zykov. However, no other independent news sources or official reports in the provided evidence corroborate this specific trend for North Macedonia.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — North Macedonia has been reducing Russian gas imports since 2022 against its own interests, new Russian Ambassador in Skopje Dmitry Zykov told TASS in his first interview.Deliveries of gas from the UA…
https://tass.com/politics/2125647
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — At the start of 2022, Russia supplied less than 2% of India's oil imports, but it is now on course to become its largest single supplier. China's imports of Russian oil have fluctuated, but have also …
https://www.bbc.com/news/58888451
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The EU imports most of its natural gas. In recent years, EU member states have reduced their dependence on Russian gas, replacing it with increased imports from Norway, the United States and Algeria.
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/where-does-t…
info
Claim 3: “Its share in the Macedonian market amounted to 39% as of the year-end”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the TASS report discusses the reduction of Russian gas and the introduction of UAE gas, the specific figure of '39% as of the year-end' for UAE gas imports is not present in the provided evidence text. Other search results regarding the UAE gasoline market are not relevant to North Macedonian natural gas imports.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The UAE's gasoline market is valued at several billion USD, with annual consumption exceeding 20 billion liters as of 2023. The market has experienced steady growth driven by increasing vehicle owners…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/united-arab-emirates-uae-gaso…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "North Macedonia is taking purposeful steps to reduce imports of Russian natural gas in recent years," Zykov noted. "While its share in physical supplies to the Macedonian market was 99% in 2021, then…
https://tass.com/politics/2125647
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world – at 1,688.228 billion cubic meters (BCM) – and exports more natural gas than any other country, shipping an estimated 175.7 billion cubic mete…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/natural-g…
info
Claim 4: “Deliveries of gas from the UAE that substituted Russian one started in the second half of the last year.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The information regarding UAE gas substituting Russian gas in the second half of the previous year is only mentioned in the TASS report. No other sources provide evidence of this specific trade shift.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "North Macedonia is taking purposeful steps to reduce imports of Russian natural gas in recent years," Zykov noted.Deliveries of gas from the UAE that substituted Russian one started in the second hal…
https://tass.com/politics/2125647
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon-based gas and non-renewable fossil fuel that forms below the Earth’s surface.In addition to its own natural gas production, the U.S. also imports natur…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/natural-g…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Why is gas so important for the EU and for Europeans? Gas is mainly used for power generation, household heating and industrial processes. Around 30% of households in the EU are heated using gas. The …
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/where-does-t…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.