A FORMER US military general has criticized Putin for halting Russian gas deliveries to existing clients, warning that his plan could have a negative impact on his economy.

 As the Russia-Ukraine conflict deepens, raising the prospect of a full-fledged nuclear war, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has upped the ante, declaring that if anyone “intends to intervene,” his response will be “rapid, lightning-fast” and equipped with the “means” required. Former military leader Ben Hodges believes this is just another “blunder” by President Putin. However, he believes that cutting off gas to Bulgaria and Poland will backfire on both him and Russia.

Speaking to CNN, Commander Hodges said: “The fact that President Putin has decided to cut off gas to Poland and Bulgaria is another in a long line of strategic blunders by the President of the Russian federation.”

“This only accelerates the departure of his former customers who are now looking for alternative sources and alternative types.”

“So, he’s only hurting himself in the long run.”

According to Politico, Russia is significantly reliant on Europe for gas exports — one of its most important economic sectors – accounting for approximately 45 percent of its total exports.

This comes as the Russian gas giant Gazprom has blocked gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland, both of which have refused to comply with Putin’s demand that they pay for gas in rubles. Bulgaria buys 90 percent of its gas from Russia, whereas Poland imports around 55 percent of its gas from Russia.

After Gazprom breached its commitments, Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov warned CNN that he would pursue all legal options against Moscow.

Minister Nikolov said in line with the EU’s stance: “We will not accept the fact that one of the parties within the contract decided to change entirely the payment mechanism, so we ended up where we are today.”

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