Gazprom will cut purchases of natural gas from Novatek by 42 million cubic meters per day — 28 percent of Novatek's daily production of 149 million cubic meters — according to Russian business daily Vedomosti. Gazprom will also cut 27 million cubic meters from its daily purchases from Lukoil (43 percent of the firm's daily production) and 8.6 million cubic meters from Itera’s Sibneftgaz (24 percent of its daily production).

This is not the first time Gazprom has cut purchases of natural gas produced by independent firms. In 2010, a natural gas glut in Gazprom’s European market forced the company to decrease exports and sell the natural gas at home. During that episode, Gazprom forced Russia’s second-largest natural gas firm, Novatek, to decrease production by nearly a third to account for increased Gazprom supplies.

But Gazprom’s stated reason for its current suspension of natural gas purchases — an imbalance between supply and demand — does not make sense. Gazprom is currently increasing production to account for elevated demand in Europe, where most of its customers are filling their storage tanks before winter sets in. (European stores of natural gas were depleted in the harsh winter earlier in 2012.) Moreover, the upcoming change in season will soon cause a spike in demand in Russia. If anything, Russia needs independent producers of natural gas to either maintain current levels of supplies or increase them to replace the supplies Gazprom sends to meet heightened European demand.

Gazprom’s decision appears to be politically motivated. The firm has recently faced a consolidated push against its monopoly at home. Many of the independent producers, especially Novatek, are seeking to both increase their share of domestic production and gain the ability to export to foreign customers without having to go through Gazprom. Independent producers can use some small networks to directly supply their domestic customers, and Gazprom has allowed independent producers to sign with domestic customers a handful of direct contracts that use Gazprom's unified pipeline network. Still, Gazprom controls nearly all the means of transporting natural gas in Russia.

Russian state oil giant Rosneft, which is trying to compete with Gazprom in natural gas production and sales, has joined Novatek in the push. Rosneft has also been working with another independent producer, Itera, on a possible merger in order to create a stronger front against Gazprom.

Novatek has also increased its international contracts, signing a natural gas deal with Germany’s E.On — Gazprom’s top customer — and an export deal with Germany’s EnBW (though the supplies still have to be transported by Gazprom). Novatek is hoping that the Europeans will help pressure Gazprom to end its stranglehold on natural gas exports — Europe does have an interest in anything that would create more competition among the Russian suppliers in the European market.

It seems Gazprom is responding to the mounting pressure by reminding the independent natural gas firms that it still controls the system. Gazprom has said the suspension of purchases will not affect supplies from independent producers’ contracts for export, since that would harm Gazprom’s reputation among foreign consumers who are already wary of the state firm’s politicization of natural gas supplies. Moreover, Gazprom decided not to cut any purchases from fellow state energy firm Rosneft, since the feud between the two firms is tied deeper into Kremlin politics.

But these exceptions do not mean Gazprom's decision cannot backfire. There is growing sentiment in the Kremlin that Gazprom needs more competition at home in order to force the firm to work more efficiently and to modernize. The suspension of natural gas purchases may only compound that growing sentiment and force the Kremlin to act.