Massive decline in purchasing Russian gas in Germany and United Kingdom

Germany, the biggest importer of Russian gas, cut its purchases from Russia's Gazprom by 17.5% last year, while exports to the UK were slashed by 65%, a source at the Russian gas export monopoly said.

In 2009, Gazprom exported 31.4 billion cubic metres to Germany and 7.3 Bcm to the UK, the source told Reuters. Most other European countries also sharply reduced their gas purchases in the face of the global economic crisis.