Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel knew about Russia's intention to cut gas supplies to pressure Europe to speed up the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but hid the information, the "Kyiv Independent" reported.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea were built to supply natural gas from Russia to Europe.
Russia aimed to speed up the commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline without certification by the German authorities, causing a gas shortage in Europe, German publication Handelsblatt claims. It cited a 2021 document by the German Economy Ministry.
The document also described Russia's actions as threatening to have "dramatic consequences" and described the filling of gas reservoirs as "very slow".
According to the document, by July 2021, "Gazprom" has filled its European gas storages only half.
Peter Altmaier, then the German Minister of Economy, received the document and informed the cabinet. In October 2023, Merkel told the media that she saw no signs of Russia reducing its gas supplies to Europe.
In October 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom to begin increasing the volume of gas in European storage.
At the time, construction on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was nearly complete, while Russia was massing its forces near the Ukrainian border for a full-scale invasion.
On February 22, 2022, the German government, headed by newly appointed Chancellor Olaf Scholz, announced that it would suspend the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after Russia recognized the occupation proxy authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"The gas price crisis took Germany by surprise. Even before Russia's offensive against Ukraine, Berlin suspected that the Kremlin was manipulating the gas market. However, the government did nothing about it," says the Handelsblatt article.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were blown up.
Investigations have been ongoing since then and have not yet led to a definitive conclusion as to the cause of the blasts. Moscow and the West have swapped blame for the incident.
Sweden and Denmark have closed their investigations, and the investigation in Germany continues. | BGNES
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