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Europe's gas squeeze deepens in late July 2022
Summary
A look back at how reduced Russian gas flows pushed German authorities into emergency savings, and at a separate helicopter deal that Manila cancelled.
What did a cut in pipeline gas mean for ordinary public life in Europe by 30 July 2022? In Germany, it meant cold showers and unheated municipal buildings.
On 27 July 2022, Gazprom reduced the volume of natural gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Europe to 20% of the pipeline's capacity. The step formed part of the wider 2022 Russia–European Union gas dispute.
The effects were visible within a day. On 28 July 2022, authorities in Hanover, Germany, turned off heating in all public buildings and switched to cold showers there. They also shut off public water fountains. The measures were taken amid an energy crisis that followed Gazprom's reduction of supplies to Germany through Nord Stream.
A separate Russian contract unwinds
Energy was not the only area in which Russia's international dealings were under pressure in those days. On 26 July 2022, the Philippine government announced that it was terminating a US$227-million agreement to buy 16 Mil Mi-17 military helicopters from Russia. Manila cited the risk that the United States could impose sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
What the dates show
Taken together, the reports from 26 to 28 July 2022 show two consequences of the situation around Russia: a sharp cut in gas flowing to Europe, and a foreign government walking away from a Russian arms purchase because of sanctions risk. In Hanover, the first of these had already reached municipal buildings and public fountains by 28 July 2022.
