The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline began to fill with gas

The operator of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia after the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Germany, which some Western countries criticize as a geopolitical weapon, announced on Monday that it had started filling the pipeline with gas. The latest step towards the launch of the pipeline comes at a time when Europe is facing an energy crisis, its natural gas reserves are low and energy prices are rising sharply. "The process of supplying gas to the first chain of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has started," says a statement from Nord Stream 2 AG. "This chain will be gradually filled in order to create the necessary supply and pressure as a prerequisite for later technical tests," said the Swiss company, which is owned by the daughter of the Russian gas giant Gazprom. It added that it would publish information on "further technical steps in time". Nord Stream 2 has been dividing Europe for years and increasing tensions between the bloc and Washington. The pipeline diverts supplies from the existing route through Ukraine. Kiev, an ally of the European Union (EU), is expected to deprive it of transit fees of around € 1 billion a year. Given that gas prices in Europe are rising rapidly, the International Energy Agency has called on Russia to "open the taps" more. In this context, Moscow said it was waiting for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be put into operation, adding that the pipeline would help combat rising gas prices in Europe.