Germany is threatened by a major energy shortage after Russia shut down one of its largest pipelines in Western Europe this morning, with ministers in Berlin warning of a “nightmare scenario” if the taps are shut down indefinitely.
Russia, plagued by widespread Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, has drastically reduced its gas supply to Europe in recent weeks, prompting accusations that it is using the continent’s dependence on its energy as a tool to pressure states and generate divisions between them. Poland, Bulgaria and Finland have been cut off from Russia’s gas networks and deliveries to Italy and Austria have been reduced by up to 70 percent.
There is a fear that without the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, it will be closed today