The German industrial powerhouse’s unhealthy dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports is by this point extremely well documented. Berlin has lobbied against plans to curb gas shipments and helped write big loopholes into an oil embargo.

Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea is now permanently mothballed and its predecessor – Nord Stream 1 – is only operating at a fraction of its capacity due to what Moscow insists are maintenance issues.

Efforts to refill gas storage facilities before the winter heating season arrives are ongoing and may yet pay off, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz is doing his utmost to provide Russia with the spare parts it needs to repair the pipeline.

Nevertheless, the situation is tense and Germany is ultimately fully exposed to the whims of the Kremlin. As this war has proved so far, predictions are difficult to make and the impossible can become possible overnight.

That is why Berlin has launched a series of measures...