### Kremlin Spokeswoman Falsely Claims German Dependence on Russian Gas

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry, recently claimed that Germany's economic challenges are due to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government stopping imports of low-cost Russian gas, resulting in catastrophic fuel price hikes. However, official data from the EU and independent sources refute her assertions.

In early November, Zakharova suggested on her Telegram channel that the collapse of Germany's "traffic light" coalition was imminent due to their error in cutting off cheap Russian gas. She dubbed Germany "a classic banana republic economy" and blamed Berlin for failing to supply critical Russian gas, leading to economic stagnation and industrial emigration to the United States.

A closer examination by Kyiv Post fact-checkers reveals that her statements are baseless. Data from YCharts shows that German natural gas prices, which peaked at $69.22/MMBtu in July 2022, have significantly declined, reaching $11.75/MMBtu by November 2023. This decrease contradicts Zakharova's claim that prices have spiked disastrously.

Similarly, gasoline prices in Germany have remained stable over the past year. Market watch group Trading Economics reported a slight downward trend: average gasoline prices were $1.97 per liter twelve months ago and decreased to $1.90 per liter in September 2024. BenzinpreisAktuell also indicated little change, with the cheapest gasoline in Stuttgart at $1.81 per liter and the most expensive in Hamburg at $1.90 per liter.

Further evidence from EuroStat and the Institute for Energy Economics and Analysis indicates that Europe has successfully diversified its energy sources after drastically cutting Russian gas imports. From 2021 to 2023, Russia’s share of pipeline gas imports to the EU dropped from over 40% to about 8%, while combined pipeline and LNG gas imports stand at less than 15%.

The shift away from Russian gas has primarily benefited Norway and the United States, which now account for 30% and 19% of EU gas imports, respectively. Despite Zakharova's attempt to present cheap Russian gas as essential for European economic health, the market data indicates otherwise. By 2027, the EU aims to be fully independent of Russian energy, a goal reinforced by current trends and market developments.