MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev believes that Europe is facing an "energy shock tsunami" linked to the European Union’s refusal to use Russian natural gas.
"All true but also exacerbated by the Energy Shock Tsunami that is coming," he wrote on the social network X, commenting on another user’s post saying that European leaders do not know what to do, their armed forces are insignificant, and the economy is in a state of stagnation.
Earlier, Dmitriev also predicted the beginning of an era of bankruptcies and a complete energy collapse in Europe following the cessation of Russian gas supplies, which, according to him, had been lobbied for by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
At the end of January, the Council of the European Union finally approved a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) starting January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas starting September 30, 2027. At the same time, restrictions will begin to be introduced earlier. Imports of LNG under short-term contracts will be banned from April 25, 2026, while short-term contracts for pipeline gas supplies must be completed by June 17, 2026.
On March 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, given the European Union’s intention to completely abandon Russian gas, Russia may itself initiate an early withdrawal from the European market and redirect supplies to other, more interested buyers.