The panic is palpable as Europe is effectively placed on a war footing
Russia’s disinformation machine has repeatedly struggled to put an alternative spin on the realities of its devastating war in Ukraine. But it was almost like the Kremlin couldn’t be bothered to come up with a credible explanation for a permanent halt to the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe on Friday night.
Even German industrial giant Siemens, which oversees maintenance of the pipeline, was quick to rubbish Russia’s claims that repair work couldn’t be carried out.
The whole world understands what’s happening – in closing one of the most important gas supply routes to Europe just hours after the G7 group of countries unveiled plans to impose a price cap on Moscow’s oil exports, Vladimir Putin has pre-empted the West and declared an all-out energy war.
