Russia getting ready for Energy Attack on Europe

• Ukrainian President: Russia is preparing an “energy attack” on Europe.
• Gazprom indefinitely suspends natural gas supplies to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
• The pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, has historically supplied about a third of gas.

Following the Russian energy giant Gazprom’s decision to permanently halt natural gas shipments to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Saturday that the Kremlin is launching a “energy attack” on Europe.

Zelenskyy stated in a video presentation that “when Russia cannot do it by power of conventional weapons, it does so by force of energy weapons.” He declared that “Russia is getting ready for a decisive energy attack on the Europeans.”

His remarks came following Friday’s announcement by Gazprom, the state-controlled firm with a monopoly on Russian gas exports via the vital pipeline, that it was no longer able to specify a timetable for the restoration of deliveries through Nord Stream 1.

It stated that an oil leak rendered a pipeline turbine incapable of operating properly and that it would not be able to do so until all defects were fixed.

However, Siemens, the German company that made the turbines, said in a statement that such leakages “do not typically impede the functioning of a turbine and can be plugged on site,” adding that it had never previously interrupted operations. The statement added that despite the breach, there were still enough turbines to run the pipeline.

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A third of the gas exported from Russia to Europe has historically come through this pipeline, which runs beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany. However, it was only operating at 20% of its capacity last week when flows were stopped for repair.

It claimed that a pipeline turbine could not operate safely due to an oil leak and that it could not do so until all defects had been fixed.

The turbines’ German manufacturer, Siemens, however, claimed in a statement that such leakages “do not typically impede the operation of a turbine and can be sealed on site,” adding that it has never previously interrupted operations. The statement claimed that there were still enough turbines to run the pipeline despite the incident.

Historically, the pipeline that runs beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany has provided nearly a third of the gas exported from Russia to Europe, but it was only operating at 20% of capacity last week when flows were stopped for repair.

In other parts of Ukraine, Russian shelling damaged a medical facility in the southern port city of Mykolaiv throughout the night, according to a statement from the city’s mayor on his Telegram channel.

Oleksandr Senkevych did not say if anyone was hurt during the overnight attack, which he said also caused damage to some homes.

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