Russia’s Gazprom taunts the West with eerie video of a freezing Europe

Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom has taunted Europe with a sinister video warning about a long winter with snow and ice sweeping across the continent. The two-minute clip titled ‘Winter’ shows how Europe will freeze amid the exorbitant energy prices caused by Vladimir Putin ‘s (pictured) savage invasion of Ukraine. 

The footage shows a worker turning off the supplies (pictured) sending the gas pressure needle to zero, as icy clouds ominously creep across the screen, interspersed with aerial shots of Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London. The video is accompanied with a woman singing in baleful tones the words of a traditional bard song, Winter will be Long, by Yuri Vizbor.

It features the gloomy lyrics: ‘Look, across the river, autumn is dying quietly… And the winter will be long, only dusk and snow.’ The non-functioning Nord Stream 2 pipeline which was suspended by Germany as a sanction against Russia’s invasion also features in the video. 

The clip ends with a shot of the Gazprom headquarters in St Petersburg (pictured), showing off the Lakhta Centre, the tallest building in Europe.

The video was released as Europe is struggling to contain an energy crisis that could lead to rolling blackouts, shuttered factories and a deep recession. Russia choked off the supplies of cheap natural gas that the continent depended on for years to run factories, generate electricity and heat homes. Pictured: A worker turning off the supplies, sending the gas pressure needle to zero.

Gazprom said Nord Stream 1, the main pipeline carrying gas to Germany, would stay closed, blaming an oil leak and claiming the problems could not be fixed because of sanctions barring many dealings with Russia. Gazprom’s deputy chief executive officer, Vitaly Markelov, told Reuters on Tuesday that Nord Stream 1 would not resume shipments until Siemens Energy repaired faulty equipment.

Siemens said it did not understand Gazprom’s representation of the situation. European officials say it is energy blackmail, aimed at pressuring and dividing the EU as it supports Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed the United States for the energy crisis. She said it had pushed European leaders towards what she called the ‘suicidal’ step of cutting economic and energy cooperation with Moscow.

The halt in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline means Russian gas shipments have fallen 89 per cent from a year ago. Russia used to supply 40 per cent of Europe’s natural gas, and even more to Germany, where inexpensive energy was a pillar of the economy. There’s still some Russian gas flowing to Europe through a pipeline passing through Ukraine into Slovakia, and another crossing the Black Sea to Turkey and then to EU member Bulgaria. 

Russia started cutting back gas as early as last summer, before the war in Ukraine started. That sent gas prices sharply higher. Then Gazprom cut off a number of European countries after they responded to the outbreak of the war by banning many dealings with Russian banks, businesses and persons. The reductions have led to soaring natural gas prices, which have hit records in the past few weeks. Given Russia’s slow constriction of supplies since last summer, experts say Europe needs to be ready for zero Russian gas this winter.

Even as gas sales dwindled, skyrocketing prices helped maintain Russia’s income 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 at the end of the year. Russia’s revenue from fossil fuel exports reached 158 billion euros from February to August, according to the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 

But oil has tended to be the Kremlin’s main moneymaker, and unlike gas in fixed pipelines to Europe, can be sold worldwide by tanker. And the gas relationship with Europe may be gone for good – and with it, any influence it might have brought. ‘The gas flows from Europe no longer play a role in my calculations,’ German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said. ‘The only reliable thing from Russia are lies.’ Pictured: The EU headquarters in Russia. 

So if Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks he has any leverage from gas, time is running out for him to use it. ‘Russia has lost nothing now that it hadn’t lost already… this winter is the last chance to use the gas weapon, successfully or not,’ tweeted Janis Kluge, an expert on the Russian economy at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

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