Russia resumes gas flow to Germany with cutback

KHARKIV, Ukraine: Russia reopened its biggest gas pipeline to Germany at less than half normal capacity on Thursday after a maintenance shutdown, raising worries of European energy shortages to come, while in Ukraine shells smashed into a market, killing three people.

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 keep it shut altogether after closing it for repairs.

But with the flows still cut back, Germany's economy minister Robert Habeck accused Russia of blackmailing Europe over energy. The Kremlin denied that and blamed Europe for causing disruption with sanctions which had complicated the pipeline's maintenance.

Nearly five months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the prospect of a disruption of European energy supplies is one of the biggest global economic and political risks arising from the war. 

European countries fear they could face shortages next winter, if Russia cuts back deliveries during warm months when they typically replenish storage tanks.

"(President Vladimir) Putin's goal is to unsettle, drive up prices, divide society and to weaken support for Ukraine," Habeck said. "We don't bow to it but counteract this with concentrated and consistent action. We take precautions so that we can get through the winter."

Reducing gas demand

Germany unveiled measures to reduce gas demand, including suspending minimum temperature requirements in apartment rental contracts, and dipping into Germany's coal reserves.

Nord Stream 1 has traditionally carried more than a third of Russia's gas exports to Europe.
"In view of the missing 60% 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.

The European Commission has proposed that member countries cut gas use by 15% to prepare for possible supply cuts, though some governments have resisted that plan.

Moscow says it sent troops to Ukraine to root out nationalists and prevent NATO using Ukraine to threaten Russia. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of conquest.

Ukraine hopes Western weapons, especially longer-range missiles such as U.S. HIMARS which Kyiv has deployed in recent weeks, will allow it to launch a counterattack in coming weeks and recapture Russian-occupied territory.

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.

British military intelligence said Russian forces were probably closing in on Ukraine's second biggest power plant at Vuhlehirska, in Donetsk province.

It said taking the power plant, a Soviet-era coal-fired facility, fitted Moscow's aim of capturing critical infrastructure and seemed like part of an attempt to advance towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the main Ukrainian-held cities in the province.

Vitaly Kim, governor of the southern Mykolaiv region, said the region had been targeted with seven S-300 missiles. One person had been wounded, he said, and infrastructure damaged.

Multiple blasts were also heard in the Russian-controlled southern region of Kherson overnight and into Thursday, Russian news agency TASS reported.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.