Russian state energy giant Gazprom said on Friday it would again cut gas supplies to Europe as concerns over European energy shortages intensified ahead of the winter months. Gas supplied through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will stop from August 31 to September 2 for “routine maintenance”, but it comes just a month after the energy company restored natural gas to one-fifth of the pipeline’s capacity following a maintenance shutdown . The Nord Stream 1 pipeline connects Russia to Europe. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber/AP Newsroom) RUSSIA’S GAZPROM CUTS GAS TO GERMANY AND DENMARK TO FIGHT THE RUBLE Russia said the gas cut was due to technical problems with the pipeline – which links western Russia and Germany – but German officials rejected those claims and said it was a political move amid the war in Ukraine. Moscow has cut gas to several European countries, including Germany, Denmark, Poland, Bulgaria, Finland and the Netherlands, after they refused to pay for energy supplies in Russian rubles – a condition the Russian began to impose President Vladimir Putin in March. UKRAINE TO DOUBLE ENERGY EXPORTS Amid RUSSIAN GAS CUTS IN EUROPE Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on economic issues via video conference at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, June 7. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/Associated Press) Natural gas prices, which have soared into 2022, rose again on Friday, making the price of the energy commodity twice as high as a year ago. European Union countries have not only seen widespread inflation and the looming threat of recession, but officials are worried about how gas shortages will affect Europeans in the coming winter months. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Germany’s economy ministry said it was “monitoring the situation in close cooperation with the Federal Network Agency”, which regulates the natural gas market. “Natural gas flows through Nord Stream 1 are currently unchanged at 20%. Gazprom said planned maintenance at a key compressor station along the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would be carried out in coordination with German partner Siemens Energy. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
