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Estonia and Europe's gas worries, June 2022
Summary
A look back at two pressure points between Russia and its European neighbours in the days around 22 June 2022.
What was weighing on Russia's relations with Europe on 22 June 2022? Two stories, one about airspace and one about gas, shaped the picture in the days leading up to that date.
On 21 June 2022, Estonia reported that a Russian Border Service Mi-8 helicopter had violated its airspace over the weekend. Tallinn responded by summoning the Russian ambassador to Estonia.
The second story concerned energy. On 16 June 2022, European benchmark natural gas prices rose by around 30% after Gazprom cut Nord Stream 1 deliveries to Germany to 40% of the pipeline's capacity. Russia blamed maintenance problems, which it said resulted from Canada's refusal to return equipment sent for repair. It also warned that use of the pipeline could be suspended completely.
Taken together, the reports show Estonia pressing a diplomatic complaint over an airspace violation while European gas markets reacted sharply to reduced flows and a warning of a possible full halt.
