Nord Stream 1: Why is Russia cutting gas supplies to Europe?

BBC News:-

Russia will be cutting the amount of the natural gas it sends to Europe by closing down a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

The news has already caused international gas prices to leap again and renewed fears of shortages.

The Russian government is being accused of using gas as a political weapon.

What is Nord Stream 1 and how much gas does it supply?

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline stretches 1,200km under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany.

It has been open for 10 years and pipes a maximum of 170m cubic metres of gas per day from Russia to Germany.

It is owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, whose majority shareholder is the Russian state-owned company Gazprom.

Germany imports 55% of its gas from Russia and most of it comes through Nord Stream 1 – with the rest coming from land-based pipelines.

Germany also agreed to the building of a parallel pipeline – Nord Stream 2 – but worked stopped shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine.