Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazprom stopped supplies to Austria early Saturday, according to the Vienna-based utility OMV, after OMV said it would stop payments for the gas following an arbitration award.

Austria's biggest energy supplier is trying to recover damages awarded during arbitration from Gazprom by essentially stopping some payment for gas supplied via Ukraine.

Russia halts gas supplies to Austria amidst a payment dispute, but maintains steady gas flow to Europe via Ukraine. The move follows arbitration in favor of Austria's OMV. Meanwhile, Europe seeks alternatives to reduce dependence on Russian gas,