Russia’s gas giant Gazprom said on Tuesday that its natural gas exports slumped by 36.2 percent to 78.5 billion cubic meters between January and the middle of August, as deliveries to Europe plummeted. Natural gas production also fell, slipping 13.2 percent to 274.8 billion cubic meters between January 1 and August 15 compared to the same period of 2021, according to a Gazprom statement. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gazprom has slashed supply to European Union member states, including by cutting off deliveries to Poland, Bulgaria, and Finland. Two months ago, Russia drastically cut gas supply via the key Nord Stream pipeline to Germany to 40 percent of capacity. Following a 10-day regular maintenance period, Gazprom further slashed Nord Stream flows to 20 percent of the pipeline’s capacity at the end of July. The Russian explanation for the even lower gas flows to Europe was that another turbine […]