The city of Hamburg, Germany's second largest city after Berlin, and the largest non-capital in the EU, has said that it may begin to ration the use of hot water as a result of the energy crisis caused by the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hamburg senator, Jens Kerstan, made the statement in German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the rationing would be the result of a lack of natural gas flowing from Russia into Germany. Germany and other European nations rely heavily on Russian gas in order to power their economies. However, since the invasion the European nations have begun to cut back on imports and are currently seeking to find alternatives. The EU plans to stop all Russian oil imports by the end of 2022.
Currently, Germany is said to import 55% of its gas from Russia, but by 2024 this should be as little as 10%. Germany has also called off the NordStream 2 project which was meant to import vast quantities of Russian oil into Germany and the EU via the Baltic Sea.
Kerstan said:
"We are in a much worse crisis than most people realise. The more we save now, the better the situation will be in winter because the stores will fill up."
The German Federation of Trade Unions has said that should an energy crisis occur it could result in a major economic recession in Germany and across the continent, leading to shutdowns of factories and other key infrastructure.
Both Norway and the Netherlands have already begun increasing gas production in order to make up some of the shortfall while deals have been struck with the nation of Qatar to import large quantities of liquified gas into the European continent.
European leaders believe that cutting off a supply of funds to Putin is one of the most effective ways in which to halt the war and cripple the Russian economy.
Russian continues to make small gains in Ukraine but has faced fierce resistance that has resulted in its retreat from Kyiv and a renewed focus on the Donbass region.
[Based on reporting by: Insider]
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