European concerns came true after Russia warned that it would not reopen the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline until restrictions on it were lifted.
Starting with a maintenance shutdown on August 31 that was later extended due to an oil leak, Russia has finally expressed its true intentions to threaten Europe.
In the latest statement on Monday, President Vladimir Putin's administration blamed Western countries for its failure to reopen the pipeline.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, Western sanctions have made it difficult for them to get the necessary parts in the maintenance work on Nord Stream 1.
Last week, state energy giant Gazprom said that an oil leak in a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was the cause behind the shutdown.
However, those reasons are disputed by the European Union (EU) and the German firm, Siemens, which maintains the turbines, which says the leaks usually do not affect operations.
As a result of Russia's actions, European gas prices jumped more than 30% on Monday, thus worsening the situation facing the continent ahead of the coming winter.
