KYIV – Ukraine averted another full-blown natural gas war with Russia after a Stockholm arbitration court ruled in favor of energy conglomerate Naftogaz Group over its three-year dispute with Gazprom.

After the Russian government majority-owned company was ordered to pay Ukraine’s state-run Naftogaz $2.56 billion on February 28, Moscow refused on the next day to supply Kyiv with gas for which it had prepaid.