Russia cuts gas supplies to Ukraine, which in turn is cutting supplies to the rest of Europe:
MOSCOW, Jan. 6 — The flow of Russian natural gas to Europe dropped sharply Tuesday with six countries reporting a complete halt of shipments as Russia deepened its gas embargo of neighboring Ukraine.
Countries as far away as Italy and Germany warned of disruptions and the European Union called the sudden fuel cut-off to member countries “completely unacceptable.”
Bulgaria said it was in a “crisis situation” and was preparing to restart two nuclear reactors, while Croatia said it was reducing supplies to industrial customers. Austria and Romania reported deliveries had fallen by as much as 90 percent, the Reuters news service reported, while German officials warned that heating needs during the current cold weather could lead to supply shortages if the Russian embargo continues. Turkey also reported reductions in Russian gas coming via Ukraine, as have Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Poland and Hungary.