Russia Shuts Down Nord Stream Pipeline Indefinitely

Russian energy company Gazprom announced Friday that it would not pipe gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline until sanctions against the country are lifted.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a statement that resuming use of the pipeline to pump gas to Europe is dependent on the West lifting sanctions. “It is these sanctions imposed by the western states that have brought the situation to what we see now,” Peskova said.

The move comes as Europe and much of the world are experiencing an energy crisis stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine, and experts are concerned that if the region experiences a cold winter, limits might have to be put on gas and energy use. Ruth Liao, a liquefied natural gas expert from commodities research firm ICIS, told The Washington Post, “The concern is if supply gets squeezed, you have to find replacements and there is not enough infrastructure there right now to replace this gas.”