Here Is Why Europe Just Launched The "Nuclear Option" Against Russia

www.zerohedge.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink">

Getting Interesting here folks, Looks like The Euro Deciders have gone All In on A Warm Winter Bet... What do you think ATSers, Would you put your money on this spin of the wheel with Other People's Lives at stake. Or would you play it safe and keep appeasing The Bear. Thanks for reading Guys and Gals and for your Replies Peace Arjunanda

Mods if this is in The Wrong Forum Please Move to The Appropriate Place and I did a search and there is nothing about this particular leaked article on ATS. Thanks Arjunanda

Europe's leaders, we assume under pressure from Washington, appear to be making a big weather-related bet with their taxpayers' lives this winter. As they unleash funding sanctions on Russia's big energy producers, Europe has pumped a record volume of natural gas into underground inventories in an effort to 'outlast' Russia and mitigate any Napoleonic "Winter War" scenario. The plan appears to be to starve Russian energy firms of cashflow - as flows to Europe are already plunging - and remove their funding ability, potentially forcing severe hardship on Russia's key economic drivers. There appears to be 3 potential problems with this plan...



As Bloomberg reports,

Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas shipments via Ukraine is declining after the region pumped a record volume of the fuel into underground inventories, minimizing the risk of shortages during the coming winter.




The blue line above shows average daily flows at Velke Kapusany on the Slovakian-Ukrainian border, the biggest single entry point for Russian gas into the European Union, last month fell to a record, according to data from Slovak grid operator Eustream AS going back to 2011. The red histogram shows the 28-nation bloc has pumped a record volume of gas into storage, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe, a lobby group in Brussels.

Natural gas flows from Russia to the EU haven’t been affected in the current crisis. Storage sites in Slovakia, which had to seek emergency imports after its supplies were cut in 2009, were 92 percent full on Sept. 4, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe.
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So Europe is stocking-up - which makes perfect sense - just in case Russia pulls the plug... but has now taken the situation to "11" on the Spinal Tap amplifier of escalating tensions by planning sanctions on Russia's energy providers.

The plan appears clear:

originally posted by: arjunanda
www.zerohedge.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink">

Getting Interesting here folks, Looks like The Euro Deciders have gone All In on A Warm Winter Bet... What do you think ATSers, Would you put your money on this spin of the wheel with Other People's Lives at stake. Or would you play it safe and keep appeasing The Bear. Thanks for reading Guys and Gals and for your Replies

Peace Arjunanda

Let them stock up, they still have to pay for the gas

Russia profits from them stocking up.

I think world wars of the past won't ever be seen again. There are simply to many huge trans-national corporations that do business all over the globe.

Corporations have great influence over the decisions of a country's government...

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I think world wars of the past won't ever be seen again. There are simply to many huge trans-national corporations that do business all over the globe.

Corporations have great influence over the decisions of a country's government...

And they're moving Eastwards.

True Point JaJaJa, Yeah, it looks like that it will be Russian Gas they're storing anyway. So, it won't really matter when they pay for it now or late. Good Reply and Thanks Arjunanda a reply to: jajaja

They should probably stock up in aviation fuel too, looks like they may need it.

OK Mystic Mushroom, I'd say More like own The Politicos Lock Stock and Barrel, just my opinion. A Star for your good reply, Thanks Arjunanda a reply to: MystikMushroom

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I think world wars of the past won't ever be seen again. There are simply to many huge trans-national corporations that do business all over the globe.

Corporations have great influence over the decisions of a country's government...

In this case, probably a positive influence, which is rare

Looking at that graph from that article it isn't really a huge increase compared with a year earlier, just very slightly.
Also since Europe had a very mild winter Europe used less gas (for warming up their homes) which could also explain there is more gas in stock right now. It's still very mild and still no need for gas usage as well for most of Europe at least.

originally posted by: Plugin
Looking at that graph from that article it isn't really a huge increase compared with a year earlier, just very slightly.
Also since Europe had a very mild winter Europe used less gas (for warming up their homes) which could also explain there is more gas in stock right now. It's still very mild and still no need for gas usage as well for most of Europe at least.

Unless winter will be colder and industry wants a steady safe supply, something Ukraine has done everything to interrupt.

Either way, Russia gets paid for it.

If Europe wanted to ensure steady safe gas, they shouldn't mess about with the South Stream pipe.

a reply to: arjunanda

They seem to be willing to go back to "cold" war - as in cold, chilly, freezing, fricking cold... How beautiful that thought might seem, the phenomena of winter, tends to repeat itself perpetually. And thus, this leaves us cold with the thought, how they are going to fix the gas if not this one, but for the forllowing winter? When Russia just closed deal with China and India, and sold the gas there, leaving Europe cold on that deal. How many months did they say the gas reserve was again?

I am thinking that Ukraine will not have the gas flows to steal and highly doubt that the EU will send any of their reserves to them ...Poor people in Ukraine will be mighty cold and dark this winter .

Yep Deckdel, I'm from Ireland and I can remember as a boy how Bleeding Cold it was in Europe. Though we had more of The Wet kind of cold back then just above freezing and soaking wet all the time, Miserable it was. Good Reply, Peace my friend L) Arjunanda a reply to: deckdel

originally posted by: arjunanda
Yep Deckdel, I'm from Ireland and I can remember as a boy how Bleeding Cold it was in Europe. Though we had more of The Wet kind of cold back then just above freezing and soaking wet all the time, Miserable it was. Good Reply, Peace my friend L) Arjunanda a reply to: deckdel

Cold? Try living in -25oC every day. And, that is MILD.

You don't know what cold is, guess what, our infrastructure carried on as usual.

I also live above a nuclear bunker In fact most people do here, perhaps you shoudl get a government that cares?

a reply to: jajaja

-25C everyday ? what do you live in the Antartic ? even in the most north place in Canada(with ppl living there) today we got 2C

weather.gc.ca...

a reply to: arjunanda

Not from under pressure by Washington. Some of the sanctions Europe is considering were already done by the US a round or 2 back.

I always find it humerus when one nation tells another to mind their own business only to get pissed when said nation decides to not trade with them.

putin made his bed.. now he must lay in it.

Russia has big problem in the next ten years Europe is going be off Russian gas. And the nation with second largest natural gas reserves has made an offer to take Russias place. And suprise that nation is Iran. Iran has been pushing for ties with the West since Russia sold out Assad Chemical weeapons instead of protecting Syria. Iran knows now if push comes to shove Russia will sell out its nuclear program as well. Which is why it started is own talks with the West. Iran now wants Europe to lift santions against importing its gas and allow it the funds to build up its gas production so it can take over Russia's markets. The talks are happening now. And what we will likely see in the next dacade is not only the US and othe countries expanding natural gas production but, Iran with the second largets reserves begin mass production. This will mean a huge drop in price. For Iran who is making almost nothing off those reserves now a drop in price is much more than what they are getting now. For who lives and dies by the price of oil and natural gas a price drop could be a disaster. Russia ruin by Iran. How ironic.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Yea same as Saddam, Assad, Gaddafi, you name it...

Of course as with Iraq they had all the proof and even (satellite) pictures of weapons of mass destruction and most people thought it was a good idea to attack Iraq, now we have the same propaganda going on.

Why did the propaganda stopped with Iran suddenly? ''more important matters right now? Shouldnt we be scared of a Nuclear Iran?

Just big geo political games with big media coverage.
It's no miracle people think why do our governments don't do what the people want? why does voting in another party doesn't change anything? ahah, your country just isn't your country anymore, it belongs to something bigger & more important it seems then their people.

It's kinda weird? Putin is also very popular with many people in the US and the EU, a leader who really cares about his country..
We don't got such leaders for a long time over here it seems.
Now Russia of course it can't compete with weapons compared with the US or the EU but really nobody cares about Ukraine, you care about Ukraine and their people? if so since when? But we would fight for that???? Going there if needed to fight Russia?

Russia also got many many tactical nuclear weapons which can be fired with artillery, no need for tanks/fighter planes whatever and knowing he can't win otherwise... may it go that far.
But when you look at country's who got sanctioned it didn't do anything good or things really changed (only people suffering/starving and becoming poor, and really really just worsening the situation & escalating things) but we willing to do it with Russia, with a leader who is very patriotic and loves his country a bit too much, well he could do it; starting a nuclear war when his nation suffers too much or collapses.

If so I hope our leaders are pleased then and happy, happy to sign sanctions behind their desks and feeling important..

originally posted by: arjunanda
Yep Deckdel, I'm from Ireland and I can remember as a boy how Bleeding Cold it was in Europe. Though we had more of The Wet kind of cold back then just above freezing and soaking wet all the time, Miserable it was. Good Reply, Peace my friend L) Arjunanda a reply to: deckdel

All that cold was caused by pollution and soot in the atmosphere that would act as condensation nucleii for snowflakes and then the snow/ice would reflect back sunlight.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I think world wars of the past won't ever be seen again. There are simply to many huge trans-national corporations that do business all over the globe.

Corporations have great influence over the decisions of a country's government...

And there is the fact that a modern way between two nuclear nations will always have the potential to go nuclear, which is in fact a deterrent for even a conventional war. Politics aside, I think Europe, if they truly wanted to, could probably get by for a decent length of time while bypassing Russian gas. And the heavier reliance placed on Ukraine would mean that military action would be more likely if in fact Russia did invade. That particular region in general would be of tantamount strategic importance if war did break out, especially the region of the Caucasus.