Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom has taunted Europe with an eerie video warning of a long winter that will see snow and ice sweep across the continent.
The two-minute clip, titled Winter will be Long, shows Europe set to freeze in the face of exorbitant energy prices caused by Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
The footage shows a worker shutting off the supply and zeroing the gas needle as icy clouds creep ominously across the screen, punctuated by aerial views of Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London.
The video is accompanied by a woman singing the words of a traditional bard song, “Winter Will Be Long” by Yuri Vizbor in ominous tones.
It contains the somber lyrics: “Behold, beyond the river autumn is dying quietly… And winter will be long, only dawn and snow.”
Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom has taunted Europe with an eerie video warning of a long winter that will see snow and ice sweep across the continent
The two-minute clip, titled “Winter will be Big,” shows Europe freezing amid skyrocketing energy prices
The footage shows a worker shutting off the supply and zeroing the gas pressure needle
The non-functioning Nord Stream 2 pipeline, suspended by Germany as a sanction against the Russian invasion, can also be seen in the video.
The clip ends with a shot of Gazprom’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, showing the Lakhta Center, the tallest building in Europe.
The video was released as Europe struggles to contain an energy crisis that could lead to rolling blackouts, closed factories and a deep recession.
Russia cut back supplies of cheap natural gas, which the continent depended on for years to run factories, generate electricity and heat homes.
Gazprom said Nord Stream 1, the main pipeline that carries gas to Germany, will remain closed, blaming an oil leak and claiming the problems cannot be fixed as sanctions bar many deals with Russia.
The video is accompanied by a woman singing the words of a traditional bard song, “Winter Will Be Big,” by Yuri Vizbor in ominous tones
The clip ends with a shot of Gazprom’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, showing the Lakhta Center, the tallest building in Europe
The video shows a shot of the EU headquarters and Russia continues its energy war
European officials say it is energy blackmail aimed at pressuring and dividing the EU while supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion.
Gazprom Executive Vice President Vitaly Markelov told Reuters on Tuesday that Nord Stream 1 will not resume deliveries until Siemens Energy repairs the faulty equipment.
Siemens said they did not understand Gazprom’s presentation of the situation.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed the United States for the energy crisis.
She said it pushed European leaders into what she called a “suicidal” move to cut economic and energy cooperation with Moscow.
The non-functioning Nord Stream 2 pipeline, suspended by Germany as a sanction against the Russian invasion, can also be seen in the video
Russia cut back supplies of cheap natural gas, which the continent depended on for years to run factories, generate electricity and heat homes
The shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline means Russian gas supplies are down 89 percent year-on-year.
Russia used to supply 40 percent of Europe’s natural gas, and even more to Germany, where cheap energy was a pillar of the economy.
Some Russian gas still flows to Europe through one pipeline running through Ukraine to Slovakia and another across the Black Sea to Turkey and then EU member Bulgaria.
Russia already began cutting gas consumption last summer, before the start of the war in Ukraine. That sent gas prices up sharply.
Then Gazprom cut off a number of European countries after they responded to the outbreak of war by banning many deals with Russian banks, companies and individuals.
The cuts have led to soaring natural gas prices, which have hit records in recent weeks.
The video was released as Europe struggles to contain an energy crisis that could lead to rolling blackouts, closed factories and a deep recession
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed the United States for the energy crisis
With Russia’s supplies slowly running out since last summer, experts say Europe needs to be prepared for zero Russian gas this winter.
Even as gas sales fell, skyrocketing prices helped sustain Russia’s revenues from those sales.
Oil and gas imports were initially exempt from sanctions because Europe was dependent on Russian energy.
Europe has banned Russian coal and will ban most Russian oil by the end of the year.
According to the Helsinki-based Research Center for Energy and Clean Air, Russia’s revenues from fossil fuel exports from February to August amounted to 158 billion euros.
But oil has typically been the Kremlin’s main moneymaker and, unlike gas, can be sold worldwide by tanker in fixed pipelines to Europe. And the gas relationship with Europe could be gone forever – and with it any impact it may have brought.
“The gas flows from Europe no longer play a role in my calculations,” said German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck. “The only reliable information from Russia is lies.”
So if Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks he has any leverage through gas, he runs out of time to use it.
“Russia hasn’t lost anything now that it hadn’t already lost…this winter is the last chance to use the gas weapon, successful or not,” tweeted Janis Kluge, an expert on Russian economics at the German Institute for International Economic Security Affairs.
