Ukraine: Russia halts Nord Stream flow to Germany — live updates | News | DW

– Europe has been cut off from Russian gas after Nord Stream 1 was turned off for repairs

This article was last updated at 06:20 UTC/GMT

Nord Stream 1 begins scheduled maintenance

Europe has been cut off from Russian gas after the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was turned off for planned repairs. The shutdown is expected to last 10 days, but other repairs have missed deadlines in the past.

Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck has warned that Russia could continue to suspend gas flows beyond the planned maintenance period in order to destabilize Europe.

“We are confronted by an unprecedented situation — anything is possible,” he told public radio over the weekend.

Several European countries remain dependent on Russian gas exports. After Russia invaded Ukraine this year, Germany reduced the proportion of gas it imports from Russia from 55% to around 35%.

What happened Sunday in Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister urged civilians in the Russian-occupied southern region of Kherson to urgently evacuate as Ukraine’s armed forces were preparing a counterattack there. Ukraine lost control of most of the Black Sea region of Kherson, including its eponymous capital, in the first weeks after Russia’s February 24 invasion.

Ukrainian emergency services said that the number of people killed in a Russian strike on a five-story apartment building had risen to 15. The incident took place in the town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk region, not far from the front line.

Ukraine’s energy and foreign ministries said they were “deeply disappointed” by Canada’s decision to return a repaired Siemens turbine used for the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline to Germany.

Canada announced it will grant a sanctions waiver for the return of repaired Russian turbines needed for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to pump more gas from Russia to Germany.

The UK’s Ministry of Defense said in its intelligence update that Russian shells fired from Izium continue to focus along the axis of the E40 main road. “Control of the E40, which links Donetsk to Kharkiv, is likely to be an important objective for Russia as it attempts to advance through Donetsk Oblast,” the ministry said.

Click here for more details on Sunday’s events in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

ar/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)