Russia shut down its main gas pipeline to Europe for three days Wednesday amid one of the worst energy crises the European Union has faced in recent memory -- a move that led to immediate speculation of whether its claims of making repairs were true.
The state-owned energy giant Gazprom, which first announced the shutdown earlier this month, said fixes were needed to the only remaining compressor at the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and that those repairs would take place from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.
As part of the shutdown, Gazprom also suspended gas shipments to the French energy company Engie, a move that led French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher to accuse Russia of "using gas as a weapon of war," according to BBC News.
Since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia has choked off gas supplies to Europe through the pipeline, which has been cited alongside inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the major factors squeezing the world economy.
