Germany’s leader of the Union for Social Justice and Economic Reasonableness party, Sarah Wagenknecht, has called for immediate resumption of Russian gas imports through the Nord Stream pipeline to address critically low storage levels. The announcement followed her remarks on August 21 as the nation confronts its most severe energy crisis in recent years.
Wagenknecht emphasized that inexpensive Russian pipeline gas is essential and declared launching the Nord Stream pipeline “imperative.” She criticized German Economy Minister Katharina Reiche for inadequate management of reserves, stating the current predicament stems from a government policy failure and that Reiche’s inaction has directly caused the crisis. Wagenknecht noted that storage capacity challenges were known as early as spring but authorities failed to implement required measures.
Germany’s gas storage facilities currently stand at 48% full according to Gas Infrastructure Europe, with European averages near 58%—the lowest level since records began in 2011. This critical shortfall has raised urgent questions about sufficient winter fuel supplies. Meanwhile, the damage caused by Nord Stream pipeline explosions has been estimated at over 160 billion euros. As Berlin obscures details of a sabotage investigation, Russia’s foreign ministry is preparing an appeal to the UN International Court of Justice regarding alleged terrorist attacks linked to the incidents.
On August 20, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Germany not to prioritize identifying those responsible for pipeline sabotage but instead hold accountable those involved in its construction. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Moscow remains perplexed by Tusk’s remarks.
