China News Service, December 28. According to "Russia Today" (RT) report, Austrian Minister of Defense Claudia Tanner warned on the 27th that due to the continuous impact of the energy crisis, EU countries can hardly avoid the problem of power outages and should Be prepared.
In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Tanner assessed the likelihood of blackouts in parts of the EU in the near future as "very high".
"The risk of widespread blackouts in the EU has increased significantly" because of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, she said.
"The question is not if it will happen, but when," the defense minister stressed.
According to reports, the Austrian military and other government departments regularly conduct blackout drills and distribute brochures in public places to raise public awareness of blackout measures.
Asked whether such an approach would cause "panic", Tanner said: "There is a thin line between raising awareness and causing fear, but so far we have done a good job."
In recent months, the shadow of power outages has been hanging over European countries.
Western countries have adopted a series of sanctions against Russia, causing energy prices to soar, and the entire European continent has fallen into an energy crisis.
Earlier this month, media reports said Switzerland was considering limiting the use of electric vehicles to save energy.
Around the same time, the head of France's electricity transmission network warned that France could face rolling blackouts due to high energy demand in cold weather.
In late November, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said EU policymakers were responsible for Europe's continued energy austerity.