Author: Blazingcatfur

As Germany scrambles to find a way to lower its reliance on Russian natural gas, the country has announced a move to the second phase — “alarm” level — of its three-stage emergency gas plan, possibly leading to higher prices for consumers. The third phase could involve gas rationing.

And the energy crisis could have even more severe consequences for industry and consumers come the fall months.

Possible solutions include purchasing from other sources, including liquefied gas; more frugal consumption and utilizing coal to a greater degree. At the same time, the neoliberal Free Democrats — the smallest party in Germany’s ruling coalition government — are calling for German nuclear power plants to run longer and for the ban on natural gas extraction through the process known as fracking to be lifted.

Before Russian bombs started falling on his motherland, Alex Shevchenko’s plan for this year was to buy a family house, move to Kent and run his internet trading business from the English countryside.

Now Shevchenko, 41, is at the beating heart of a thousand-strong volunteer network manufacturing reconnaissance drones, developing artillery-targeting applications and supplying the Ukrainian army from Britain.

Crowdsourced armaments. What a world.

At a time when there is mounting concern that European leaders are suffering from “war fatigue” over the Ukraine conflict, the prospect of Kyiv becoming an official candidate for European Union membership constitutes a much-needed morale boost for the Ukrainian people.

With the conflict now reaching the four-month mark, the early enthusiasm demonstrated by Western leaders for supporting the Ukrainian cause has been replaced by apathy as it becomes clear that the war is likely to drag on for months to come.