The Kremlin explained on Monday that supplies via this infrastructure will not resume as long as the sanctions against Russia are not lifted, thus recognizing explicitly, using gas as a political weapon.
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This time things are clear: by announcing the cessation of gas deliveries to the European Union (EU) through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Moscow recognized, for the first time in such an explicit way, to use the gas as a political weapon – after having argued since the start of the crisis of various technical pretexts to slow down or to interrupt the flows of hydrocarbons.
The Kremlin explained, Monday, September 5, that the gas supply of Russia to the EU via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline will not resume completely as long as “the collective west” will not raise the sanctions against the Russia for his invasion of Ukraine. Dmitri Peskov, the spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, appointed European, British and Canadian sanctions as responsible for Moscow’s failure to deliver gas via the main infrastructure transporting to Germany from Saint Petersburg through The Baltic Sea.
Gas transport was initially suspended on August 31 for “scheduled maintenance”, which was to be completed after three days. But on September 3, the Russian public group Gazprom announced a complete gel of deliveries due to the dismantling of another gas turbine engine at the compression station and the inability to solve these problems.
This argument had been immediately contradicted by the turbine manufacturer, Siemens Energy. “We can say that such a observation does not constitute a technical reason to stop operations,” the German group wrote in a statement at the weekend. “The fact that Siemens has refused to maintain the turbines is a lie,” abounds the expert in the Russian hydrocarbon market Mikhail Kroutikhin – it recalls that the sanctions do not affect the maintenance of the turbines. Three were declared ineffective by Gazprom, while a fourth is blocked in Germany, because Gazprom “still finds reasons not to have it delivered to Russia”. Four of the eight turbines necessary to operate the compression station are already in Russia.
spectacular increase in the price of gas
According to the expert, this is a purely political decision: “The objectives are quite obvious: make Europeans believe that they will be eating in winter, without Gazprom feeling the slightest pity. Unless the EU cancels or at least softens the sanctions against Russia and ceases its military support to Ukraine. “The Kremlin patiently waits for the European Front to be fragmented under the pressure of public opinion pricked by inflation and bitten by the winter cold.
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