Russia’s Gazprom unveiled a major escalation in its energy war with Western Europe on Friday, announcing that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will remain closed indefinitely, a move that threatens the prospect of blackouts and economic turmoil across the continent. The announcement was immediately condemned in capitals across the continent, but despite the anger, Gazprom’s decision will raise fears that Europe, which has long relied on Russian energy, faces a long, harsh winter with rationing and potentially crippling price increases. The 1,200-kilometer underwater natural gas link, which runs under the Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg to northeastern Germany, was due to reopen on Saturday after several days of maintenance work. Gazprom said on social media that the leak was discovered in a vital turbine and had identified “malfunctions”. He did not give a timetable for reopening. Friday’s announcement by the Russian gas giant came hours after G7 finance ministers agreed on a global price ceiling for Russian oil and oil products.
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Putin “plays” the “economic war” and the “psychological war” very well
The former chief executive of Energy UK said Vladimir Putin was “playing” “economic warfare” and “psychological warfare extremely well”, leaving us “panicking as a country”. On the fallout from Russian state-owned Gazprom’s decision to shut down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which supplies gas to Europe, Angela Knight told Times Radio: “He (Putin) is really playing economic warfare extremely well. he plays psychological warfare very well. “We have panicked as a country – Europe has panicked too – and it’s no surprise and I’m not criticizing it. “I’m just saying that, actually, in the last, let’s say 20-25 years, there has been a view of energy policy that has resulted in a lot of dependence on foreign countries and it’s not that friendly. “Now, I’m a big believer in international trade and I don’t think we should be insular, I think we need more energy security and I think we need more security in our food, and you have to get there. “I think what happened is that we were too far from that personal security, that security of the country, and too far from dependencies that were distant, semi-hostile, potentially hostile, and there was too much of a blind eye to the consequences because the supply was cheap and plentiful and reasonably local.’ Sam Rkaina3 September 2022 09:02 1662189824
Homes for Ukraine scheme hits ‘crisis point’ as councils brace for surge in refugee homelessness
City councils are bracing for an influx of homeless refugees amid warnings the government has “no plan” to continue its flagship Homes for Ukraine scheme. With hosts facing increased pressure from rising living costs, many local authorities are concerned that Ukrainian families will be left homeless when the initial six-month arrangements run out. Refugees, hosts and councilors are also worried about how Ukrainians will find independent housing in an increasingly competitive rental market. Click here for the full story. Inna Sukhoraba and her 16-year-old daughter Irynka have come to the UK under the scheme (Is provided) Sam Rkaina3 September 2022 08:23 1662185117
Two IAEA experts will remain stationed at the Zaporizhia plant
A United Nations inspection team, led by its chief Rafael Grossi, returned late Friday after managing to inspect the Zaporizhia nuclear plant site despite heavy shelling in the area. Speaking at a news conference on his return to Vienna on Friday, Mr Grossi said six International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff remain at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, after leading a 14-person mission there. He added that the number will be reduced to two next week and those two will be the IAEA’s continued presence there in the long term. Both sides have accused the other of shelling near the facility, which is still operated by Ukrainian personnel and supplies more than a fifth of Ukraine’s peacetime electricity. Kyiv also accuses Russia of using it to shield its weapons, which Moscow denies. Russia has so far resisted international calls to withdraw troops from the plant and demilitarize the area. Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission of experts, led by IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, visit the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Reuters) Stuti Mishra3 September 2022 07:05 1662184500
Ukraine military achieves ‘tactical surprise’ in renewed offensive operations, says Foreign Ministry
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been conducting renewed offensive operations in southern Ukraine since August 29, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in its latest intelligence briefing today. One element of that offensive is a sustained advance on a broad front west of the Dnipro River, focusing on three axes inside Russian-held Kherson Oblast, he added. “The operation has limited immediate objectives, but Ukrainian forces have likely achieved a degree of tactical surprise. taking advantage of poor logistics, management and leadership in the Russian armed forces.” The ministry added that as fighting also continues in the Donbass and Kharkiv sectors, a key decision for Russian commanders in the coming days will be where to commit the operational reserve forces they can build up. Stuti Mishra3 September 2022 06:55 1662159863
Russia’s Gazprom shuts European gas pipeline indefinitely as energy crisis escalates
Russia’s state-controlled gas supplier Gazprom heralded a major escalation in Moscow’s energy war with Western Europe on Friday when it announced that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would remain shut indefinitely, a move that raises the prospect power outages and economic unrest throughout Epirus. The decision was immediately condemned in capitals across Europe, but despite the furor, Gazprom’s decision will raise fears that Europe, which has long relied on Russian energy, faces a harsh winter ahead, which is likely to it includes curtailing vouchers along with potentially crippling price hikes. The 1,200-kilometer underwater natural gas link, which runs under the Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg to northeastern Germany, was due to reopen on Saturday after several days of maintenance work.
Russia’s Gazprom shuts European gas pipeline indefinitely as energy crisis escalates
The move demonstrates Russia’s “cynicism”, says the EU Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 September 2022 00:04 1662156586
Russia to bury Gorbachev without state honors
Mikhail Gorbachev, the beloved Soviet leader of the West who lived long enough to see all the reforms he championed at home undone, will be buried on Saturday without state honors or the presence of the current Kremlin establishment. Gorbachev became a hero in the West for enabling Eastern Europe to shake off more than four decades of Soviet communist control, allowing East and West Germany to reunite and forging arms control agreements with the United States. But when the 15 Soviet republics seized the same freedoms to demand independence, Gorbachev was powerless to prevent the collapse of the union in 1991, six years after he had become its leader. For this, and the economic chaos unleashed by the “perestroika” liberalization program, many Russians could not forgive him. Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91, was given a public mission – Muscovites will be able to see his coffin in the imposing Hall of Columns, in front of the Kremlin, where previous Soviet leaders had mourned. But it was no surprise that Russian President Vladimir Putin, a long-time KGB intelligence officer who called the collapse of the Soviet Union a “geopolitical catastrophe”, refused Gorbachev full state honors and said he was too busy to attend the funeral . Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 September 2022 23:09 1662153317
Russia is using energy as a weapon, White House says on Nord Stream shutdown
Russia is using energy as a tool to pressure Europe, the White House said when asked about Russia’s delayed return of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. “Unfortunately, it is not surprising that Russia continues to use energy as a weapon against European consumers,” a National Security Council spokesman told Reuters in an email about the shutdown of the pipeline that sends natural gas to Europe. Russia canceled a Saturday deadline to restart flows on the line, deepening Europe’s problems securing fuel for the coming winter. Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 September 2022 22:15 1662150868
Russia’s Gazprom keeps the natural gas pipeline to Germany closed
Europe’s energy crisis deepened on Friday after Russian energy giant Gazprom said it could not continue supplying natural gas through a major pipeline to Germany for now. European utilities are scrambling to find extra supply during the summer months to prepare for winter heating demands by buying expensive liquefied gas that comes by ship, while additional supplies have come by pipeline from Norway and Azerbaijan. Fears of a winter shortage have eased somewhat as storage has advanced, but a complete shutdown could create serious difficulties in Europe, analysts say. The European Union must step up efforts to reduce gas consumption, energy policy expert Simone Tagliapietra said at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels. Continued shutdowns by Gazprom mean “a winter of zero Russian gas is the central scenario for Europe”. he said. “There is only one way to prepare for this: reducing demand for natural gas and electricity.” Gazprom said it had detected oil leaks from four turbines in the…
