“The problems with pumping (of gas) arose because of sanctions from Western states,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. via the strategic Nord Stream gas pipeline was the sole fault of the West, as their sanctions prevent the maintenance of gas infrastructure. “The problems with pumping (of gas) arose because of sanctions from Western states. There is no other reason for these problems,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He was speaking a few days after the shutdown of Nord Stream, a crucial pipeline for supplying Europeans who fear an energy crisis this winter. SEE ALSO – Energy: gas stocks are “92% full”, says Agnès Pannier-Runacher “It is these sanctions (…) which have led to the situation that we observe now”, he again denounced during a telephone press briefing. The Kremlin spokesman also “categorically rejected” Westerners’ “relentless attempts” to “shift responsibility and blame” onto Moscow. “The West – in this specific case the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom – is responsible for the fact that the situation has reached such a point”, he added. Dmitry Peskov once again justified the stoppage of Russian gas deliveries to Germany via the Nord Stream gas pipeline, announced last Friday, by the “serious maintenance” that, according to him, the last turbine that was working until then requires. “It works badly, breakdowns occur there. This causes the flow to stop”, he judged. The Russian giant Gazprom had for its part indicated on Friday that it had discovered “oil leaks” in the turbine during a maintenance operation in a compressor station located in Russia. Moscow affirms in particular that the Western sanctions taken following the Russian offensive in Ukraine prevent the return of a Siemens turbine that had been sent to Canada for repair. Germany, where the turbine is located, assures that it is Russia that is blocking the return of this key piece. The shutdown of gas flows between Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea has further heightened Europeans’ fears in recent days of having to face an unprecedented energy crisis this winter. SEE ALSO – Gas: near Paris , reserves are being built up to help France get through the winter