**Europe Breaks Free from Russian Gas Grip**
For decades, Europe has relied heavily on Russia for its gas needs. But now, that era is coming to an end.
Russia’s pipelines through Ukraine have stopped flowing, and European countries are slowly moving away from relying on Russian supplies. This marks a historic moment – the end of Europe’s long-standing energy dependence on Russia.
**A Legacy of Dependency**
The Soviet Union started supplying gas to Europe in the late 1960s. At first, it was just to Czechoslovakia and Austria. But by the early 1970s, West Germany was also getting its gas from Moscow. This was a time when the world was facing an oil crisis, and Russia was happy to help out.
As the years went by, Russia invested in massive pipeline projects like the “Urengoy – Pomary – Uzhhorod” pipeline in 1981 and the “Yamal – Europe” pipeline in 1984. These projects made Russia a key player in Europe’s energy market.
**Russia’s Grip Begins to Loosen**
In the late 1990s, there were disagreements over control of Ukraine’s pipelines, but gas supplies kept flowing. However, as tensions rose between Russia and Ukraine, European countries began to look for alternative suppliers.
Today, Europe is finally breaking free from its reliance on Russian gas. This change won’t be sudden or easy, but it marks the beginning of a new era in energy independence for Europe.
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