Russia's gas stop makes Europe feel the winter in advance, and Europe is warned: it may face a "winter of war"
[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The hottest summer on record has not yet completely passed, but Europeans are beginning to feel an unprecedented chill in advance.
After a three-day overhaul, Gazprom announced on the 2nd that due to multiple equipment failures, the gas supply of the "North Stream-1" natural gas pipeline to Europe will be "completely stopped".
Just earlier in the day, the Group of Seven (G7) and the European Union successively stated that they decided to set a "price ceiling" on Russia's oil, natural gas and other energy products.
Regarding Russia's tit-for-tat confrontation, although some Western politicians and media still claimed that they "must uphold their own values", they were also "inexplicably surprised", accusing Russia of using energy as a weapon to launch a protracted energy war.
At the same time, people in European countries are worried that the winter may come earlier, and more and more European people do not support sanctions against Russia.
On the 3rd, demonstrations broke out in many European countries to protest against rising energy prices.
70,000 people took to the streets in Prague, the Czech capital, to demand that the government control energy prices and lift sanctions on Russia.
What worries many European governments is that when this winter comes, not only people will freeze and the economy will decline, but society may also be plunged into unprecedented turmoil.
'Stern warning to Europe'
"No deadline: Gazprom has completely stopped the delivery of natural gas to Europe through 'Beixi-1'", today's Russian TV reported on this topic on the 3rd, Gazprom issued a statement on the 2nd, saying that it was in the process of "Beixi-1" natural gas. An inspection of the last operating turbine at the Portovaya compressor station in the pipeline revealed damage.
The statement said that Gazprom discovered oil leaks from turbine 24 during a joint inspection of the pipeline with representatives of Siemens Energy.
Similar damage occurred to several other turbines earlier.
The company has received warnings from the Russian Federal Agency for Environment, Technology and Nuclear Regulation that these failures and damages are no longer enough to ensure the safe operation of the pipeline.
Therefore, the company decided to stop the operation and gas supply of the pipeline completely until the problem of equipment failure is eliminated.
Gazprom also said that Western sanctions against Russia made it impossible to repair equipment.
The "North Stream-1" natural gas pipeline was completed in 2011. It starts from Russia in the east and leads to Germany via the Baltic Sea. It is the "big artery" of Russia's gas transmission to Europe. Last year, it accounted for about 35% of Europe's total imports of Russian natural gas.
Since June, Russia has begun to reduce the gas transmission volume of the "Beixi-1" pipeline, on the grounds that Western sanctions have made it impossible for Russia to carry out routine maintenance and complete the registration and assembly of returned parts.
Its gas capacity is only equivalent to 20% of full capacity.
Regarding the Russian statement, Germany's Siemens Energy said on the 3rd that, as a turbine manufacturer, we can only say that such a failure is not the technical reason for the shutdown of operation, and the oil leakage can be resealed on site without affecting the operation of the turbine.
The company also said there are enough additional turbines available.
The German Federal Network Agency, which is in charge of the oil and gas pipelines, also said that the defects claimed by Russia were not technically a reason to stop operations.
A spokesman for the European Commission said Gazprom was "closing the gas pipeline under false pretenses, which once again proves Russia's shame".
European Council President Michel Michel said that Russia's use of "natural gas as a weapon" would not change "the determination of the EU (sanctions against Russia)", saying that the EU "will speed up the process of energy independence".
"Stern warning to Europe", the Russian Federal News Agency said on the 4th that Russia stopped the gas supply of the "North Stream-1" pipeline, which is obviously a severe warning to Europe.
G7 finance ministers made a decision on the 2nd to set a "price ceiling" for Russian oil.
European Commission President von der Leyen said on the same day that the EU will also take measures to set a "price ceiling" for Russian natural gas, and a decision will be made at the emergency meeting of EU energy ministers on September 9.
For the G7 decision, Russia has issued a warning in advance that it will completely ban oil exports to countries that support the adoption of "price caps".
Dmitry Medvedev, vice chairman of the Russian Federation Security Council, said on the 2nd that if the European Union sets a "price ceiling" on Russian natural gas, Europe "will no longer have Russian natural gas available".
Europe may face 'winter of war'
"Energy prices are soaring, and the European economy will experience the cold winter ahead of time," the Washington Post said. Russia's move may not only lead to the lack of energy needed in the European continent during the winter, but also push up inflation in the market.
Once the "North Stream-1" pipeline is really closed permanently, Europe will not only usher in a "particularly cold winter", but also experience a "cold winter" at the economic level.
RIA Novosti said on the 3rd that although the EU claims that its gas storage is more than 80% full, Russian experts are convinced that the EU's current reserves may not be enough to survive the cold winter.
The report quoted financial analysts as forecasting that natural gas prices in Europe could exceed $4,000 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first time this winter against the backdrop of the closure of the Nord Stream-1 pipeline.
U.S. CNN reported that rising energy prices drove a record rise in inflation in the European Union.
Eurozone inflation accelerated to 9.1% for the first time in August; inflation in the Baltic countries even exceeded 20%.
With soaring inflation and a lack of energy, the European economy will slip into recession.
The Wall Street Journal said that although European countries are making some progress in actively looking for alternative suppliers of Russian natural gas, these countries lack liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and are unlikely to import large quantities of natural gas from outside Russia.
This year's winter in Europe is "destined to be cold," the report said.
Russia's indefinite shutdown of the Nord Stream-1 pipeline will bring a "tragic winter" and unknowable consequences to European people and politicians.
In Germany, although the government announced on the 4th to provide a third set of energy support plans for low- and middle-income earners, the German energy company Uniper announced on the same day that it may increase natural gas costs for users in the future, and the rate of increase will depend on "market prices".
In an interview with Bild on the 4th, German CDU leader Merz warned that in the coming winter, Germany may have a power outage.
Earlier, with the expiration of energy tax cuts, gasoline prices in Germany rose sharply again from the 1st, and the price of gasoline per liter was about 2.1 euros (about 14.4 yuan).
The German leadership should stop showing their stubbornness and naivety and start discussing lifting sanctions, starting the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline and Peace talks on Ukraine crisis.
"Now is the time to assess the outcome of this economic war... The 'let's freeze to death for peace' policy clearly cannot continue."
Swedish Prime Minister Andersson warned on the 3rd that Sweden is facing the possibility of a "winter of war".
She said the energy war was having a major impact on households and companies in Europe and Sweden.
"If we don't act soon, this could lead to serious chaos in the Nordic and Baltic countries".
Many countries will enter a "period of instability"
The German newspaper Die Welt said that as the sanctions against Russia affected people's livelihood, the German people's satisfaction with the government hit a new low.
The latest polls show that 68% of respondents are not very satisfied or completely dissatisfied with the performance of the ruling coalition; Prime Minister Scholz's approval rate was 60% when he took office, and now it has fallen to 35%.
Meanwhile, popular support for sanctions against Russia has also been declining.
In March, two-thirds of Germans expressed their willingness to support the government's sanctions route, but only about 53% of Germans supported it in August.
In eastern Germany, respondents who objected to sanctions were already in the majority.
"A new wave of protests is sweeping Europe," Reuters said. Large-scale protests broke out in Prague, the Czech capital, on the 3rd. About 70,000 people took to the streets to call on the ruling coalition to take more measures to control soaring energy prices and oppose sanctions against Russia.
A sign at the demonstration read: "The best is for Ukraine, only two sweaters are left for us."
On Saturday, a large-scale protest rally was also held in Paris, France. The protesters accused the French government of not caring enough about the well-being of the French and demanded the resignation of President Macron.
A day earlier, people in Kassel, Germany, protested against soaring energy prices and clashed with local police.
Both left- and right-wing parties in Germany are preparing to hold demonstrations next week.
The right-wing AfD also shouted the slogan: "We don't want cold feet!"
At the same time, Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mines and Energy Zorana said on the 4th that unlike some European countries, Serbia will not restrict electricity to residents.
Earlier, the Cypriot natural gas company said that it is expected that there will be no problems with the supply of natural gas in Cyprus, and the country can rely on Russian natural gas to ensure its needs this winter.
"The next few months will be the most difficult days for European governments since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict." CNN said that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been more than half a year, and European governments are worried that the consensus to support Ukraine will collapse as the European continent enters a cold winter.
With soaring food prices, limited energy for heating homes and a recession that could lead to massive job losses, the growing dissatisfaction among the population has made European governments even more worried.
According to reports, the United Kingdom will elect a new prime minister on September 5, Italy will hold early national elections, and the United States will also hold mid-term elections in November. Many Western countries will enter a domestic “period of instability” next.
[Global Times special correspondent in Russia, the United States, and Germany, Sui Xin, Xiao Da, Qingmu Global Times reporter Xie Rongbin, Liu Yupeng, Chen Kangtao, short room]