Ukraine war: Germany fears Russia gas cut as supplies halted

Russian gas supplies to Germany have been stopped for a period of time.

Russian-backed operators say the move is due to yearly maintenance work.

The German ministers think that the shutdown is politically motivated.

Robert Habeck, the German economy minister, said last month that Putin was using gas as a weapon.

Germany's government is concerned that supplies will be cut permanently.

Italy will get less gas from Russia's Gazprom on Monday than it has in the past few days, according to energy group Eni.

Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, warned that Russia could cut off gas supplies to Europe.

Russia cut gas supplies to several countries because they refused to comply with a new payment scheme.

Germany has reduced its dependence on Russian gas since the beginning of the year and would like to stop using gas from Russia altogether.

If Russian gas supplies were suddenly cut, it would tip Germany into a major recession, since most homes use gas for heating.