German and Austrian gas supplies severely disrupted

Germany and Austria say they’re feeling the impact of a cut in Russian gas to Ukraine.

Austria has reported a 90 percent drop and Germany says deliveries have been massively reduced.

The cut marks a dramatic escalation in the gas crisis and raises fears that deliveries to the rest of Western Europe will be affected.

Earlier, Bulgaria confirmed a pipeline running via Ukraine, which also ships supplies to Turkey, Greece and Macedonia was suspended at 3.30 am local time.

With many western European countries relying heavily on Russian gas, the row between Russia and Ukraine has raised fresh doubts over Moscow’s reliability as a energy supplier.

Russian energy giant Gazprom stopped supplying gas to Ukraine on new year’s day following a row over unpaid bills and prices.

Moscow has accused Kiev of siphoning off supplies, which Ukraine denies.

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tags: Energy, Russia, Ukraine