LONDON/KYIV: Russia resumed gas supplies through its biggest pipeline to Europe but Germany said it was not enough to rule out potential shortages, while in Ukraine, Russian forces were reported to be close to seizing the country’s second biggest power plant.
Russian troops shelled cities across the east and south and hit two schools as they carried out limited ground operations in preparation for a wider offensive, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia said its forces had destroyed military targets.
The resumption of gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany ended a nerve-jangling 10 days for Europe in which politicians expressed concern Russia might not restart them at a time when alternative energy supplies are tight and prices high.
But flows were only restored at the 40% of capacity levels they had been running at before the maintenance pause and Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck accused Russia of blackmailing Europe over energy.
The Kremlin denied that and blamed Europe for disruption which it said was caused by EU sanctions which had complicated the pipeline’s maintenance.
Nord Stream 1 has traditionally carried more than one third of Russia’s gas exports to Europe and while its restart allayed concern Russia might not restart them at all, supplies were not enough for Germany to reach its storage requirements.
“In view of the missing 60% (capacity) and the political instability, there is no reason yet to give the all-clear,” said Klaus Mueller, president of Germany’s network regulator.
Other countries in Europe, including France, Austria and the Czech republic, would also be affected, the regulator said.
Habeck said he feared the pipeline’s capacity could fall further and that Germany would tighten its gas storage targets, introduce gas saving measures, and dip into its coal reserves in October to try to ensure even supplies.
The European Commission has proposed that member countries cut gas use by 15% to prepare for possible supply cuts but that plan is facing resistance from some governments.
Moscow has repeatedly criticised EU and US sanctions on Russia over its February 24 invasion of Ukraine and Western arms help for Kyiv, saying it had to undertake what it calls a “special military operation” to prevent Nato using Ukraine to threaten Russia. Ukraine says it needs the weapons to defend itself against what it and the West cast as an unprovoked imperial-style war of aggression designed to steal its land and erase its national identity.
Ben Wallace, Britain’s Defence Minister, said London would send scores of artillery guns and more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine after outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised another 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of military support.
INTENSE SHELLINGThe Ukrainian military reported heavy and sometimes fatal Russian shelling in the east and south of the country amid what its said were largely failed attempts by Russian ground forces to advance in the eastern Donetsk region.
Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian missile strikes had destroyed two schools in the cities of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka and had also hit the city of Bakhmut but there was no information yet on casualties.
“Russia is intentionally destroying our cities and towns. Do not expose yourself to danger – evacuate,” he wrote on Telegram.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had destroyed the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service in Kramatorsk and had shot down a Ukrainian SU-25 military plane nearby.
It said it had also hit Ukrainian artillery positions and arms depots near Kostiantynivka.
— Reuters
The resumption of gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany ended a nerve-jangling 10 days for Europe
