Russia has prepared to mothball the torn Nord Stream gas pipeline in a sign that Moscow has abandoned Europe as a key buyer.

  • Russia intends to shut off damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines to Europe as there are no plans to repair them, Reuters reported.
  • This is a sign that Moscow has abandoned Europe as a major buyer of its gas in the face of strong Asian demand.
  • “If the war doesn’t end, there’s no reason to start repairing them – literally at any time, everything can happen again,” a Kpler analyst told Insider.

According to Reuters, Russia intends to mothball the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines to Europe, as it does not plan to repair them.

The new development is a sign that Moscow has abandoned Europe as its key gas market and the country is now heavily dependent on buyers from Asia.

“Until the war is over, there is no reason to start repairing them – literally at any time, everything can happen again,” Kpler analyst Victor Katona told Insider, adding that “there is an unhealthy atmosphere around Nord Stream.”

Last September, explosions ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines and caused the Baltic Sea to boil from a methane leak. This disrupted Russian gas supplies to the continent and exacerbated a devastating energy crisis, given that Moscow typically supplied about 40% of Europe’s natural gas.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, US and European officials accused Russia of committing “gross sabotage.” But Russia claims it did not destroy the pipelines and recently demanded that the US prove Washington was not involved in the incident after a scathing report.

Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom said it was technically possible to repair blown-out pipelines, but that it made no sense as Moscow had little hope of mending relations with the West after hitting the country with tough sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine, Reuters was told. two sources close to the case.

After Europe abandoned energy exports from Russia, Moscow turned to Asia in an attempt to find new buyers. Since the war began, China has become a leading buyer of Russian oil and gas, buying goods at deep discounts.

“One more thing – Gazprom is now investing in the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which is actually a copy of Nord Stream 2, with the only difference being that it goes to China. This project is their number one priority, so if they can choose where they would invest their money, they would naturally gravitate toward the safer option,” Katona said.

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