Supplies of Russian gas via the undersea Blue Stream gas pipeline to Turkey reached a record high in 2021, Gazprom said Friday, citing rising demand.

The 15.98 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas marks the highest annual volume via this major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline since commissioning.

"Record shipments via Blue Stream inspires us and proves the effectiveness of direct supply via offshore gas pipelines," said Elena Burmistrova, head of Gazprom Export.

Russian gas exports have been in the spotlight amid Moscow’s standoff with the West over Ukraine, with Kyiv seeking membership of NATO while Russia has amassed troops near the border with Ukraine.

The West has threatened Russia with sanctions if it invades Ukraine. Russia, meanwhile, denies that it has plans to invade.

Ties between Russia and Turkey, one of Moscow’s biggest consumers of natural gas, have been patchy in recent years. Though relations have been beset by issues including conflicts in Syria and Libya, Russia and Turkey still enjoy relatively close political and economic cooperation.

The Blue Stream pipeline, launched in the early 2000s under the Black Sea, is Russia’s first pipeline directly connecting its gas fields with a major gas-consuming country.

Gas consumption in Turkey rose to a record high of 61 bcm in 2021, Gazprom Export said.

Russia also intends to supply gas directly to Germany via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline below the Baltic Sea. That pipeline remains idle ahead of the required regulatory clearance from Berlin and Brussels.