Recital (4)

The Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022 and subsequent weaponised reductions of gas supplies in conjunction with the manipulation of the markets through intentional disruptions of gas flows have laid bare vulnerabilities and dependencies in the Union and its Member States, with the obvious potential of a direct and serious impact on the functioning of the Union gas market, the Union’s economy and its essential security interests, as well as the potential of direct harm to Union citizens because energy supply disruptions can harm citizens’ health or life. Evidence shows that the state-controlled company Gazprom intentionally manipulated the Union’s energy markets in order to drive up energy prices. Large underground storages in the Union controlled by Gazprom were left at unprecedentedly low levels, and Russian companies reduced sales at Union gas hubs and fully discontinued the use of their own sales platform before the invasion, which affected short-term markets and aggravated the already tight supply situation after the Russian Federation’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine. As of March 2022, the Russian Federation systematically halted or reduced deliveries of natural gas to Member States, leading to significant disturbances to the Union gas market. This affected in particular supplies to the Union via the Yamal pipeline, supplies to Finland as well as the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, where Gazprom first reduced flows and eventually shut down supplies via the pipeline entirely.