Finland prepared in case Russia cuts off gas, emergency committee says

Finland is gearing up for a possible gas cut-off, according to Finnish Media. Defence Minister of Finland told reporters that they were prepared in advance for such a step by Russian agencies.

Finland is ready to cope in the event that Russia cuts off its supply of natural gas, the government's emergency preparedness committee said after a meeting on Friday.

Key Finnish politicians had been warned of a possible halt to gas exports by Russia on Friday, Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported on Thursday.

Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen told reporters he could not confirm the report while the Kremlin said the newspaper report was "most likely a hoax" and reiterated that state-owned gas company Gazprom remained a reliable gas supplier.

Gazprom did not reply to a Reuters request for a comment.

State-owned Gasgrid Finland had no indication