After a 10-day maintenance closure on Thursday, natural gas began flowing through a critical pipeline from Russia to Europe. However, the gas flow remained significantly below total capacity, and the prognosis was uncertain, leaving Europe vulnerable to a harsh winter.

Since July 11, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany has been halted for annual maintenance. German officials feared that the pipeline — the country's primary supply of Russian gas, which has recently accounted for around one-third of Germany's gas imports – might not reopen amidst rising tensions over Russia's war in Ukraine.

After 6 a.m., according to network data, gas began to come through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and the operator reported that it had "completed all scheduled maintenance work." However, deliveries remained well below the pipeline's maximum capacity, as they had been for weeks before the repair stoppage.

Klaus Mueller, the chairman of Germany's network regulator, stated that Russia's Gazprom informed Thursday deliveries of around 30 percent of the pipeline's capacity. Subsequently, he tweeted that accurate deliveries exceeded that amount and might reach pre-maintenance levels of about 40 percent.

This would not be sufficient to address Europe's energy crisis. "Unfortunately, the political uncertainty and the 60 percent reduction from mid-June remain," stated Mueller.

When Gazprom curtailed the supply last month, it blamed purported technical issues with equipment that Siemens Energy shipped to Canada for maintenance but could not return due to sanctions imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Canadian government authorized the shipment of a turbine that drives a compressor station at the Russian end of the pipeline to Germany.

The German government has frequently argued that Gazprom's technical rationale for the gas cut was only a pretext for a political move to create uncertainty and increase energy prices. It has stated that the turbine was a replacement meant to be installed in September but that it is doing all possible to prevent Russia from reducing supplies.

Putin stated on Tuesday that Gazprom had not yet received the necessary documentation for the turbine's return, and he questioned the quality of the repair work on Wednesday. Putin stated that Gazprom would shut down a second turbine for maintenance at the end of July, and if the turbine sent to Canada were not returned by then, the gas flow would decrease even lower.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the Executive Committee of the European Union, stated on Wednesday that the turbine was "in transit" and there was "no reason not to deliver" gas.

Russia is playing a "strategic game," according to Simone Tagliapietra, an energy policy expert at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

"Maintaining modest flows is preferable to stopping them. It weakens Europe's determination to limit its gas usage, he said. He cautioned that Europe must enter crisis mode nonetheless, as an interruption is likely to occur this winter. And each cubic meter of gas saved now will strengthen Europe's resilience in the coming months."

Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, stated, "Today underscores — even if there is an announcement that gas is flowing again — that this war is not only being waged with weapons against Ukraine, but that hybrid warfare also includes the use of energy dependence as a weapon."

This Monday, the European Commission advised that member countries reduce their gas use by 15% over the next few months in preparation for a possible complete Russian gas supply shutdown.

Germany and the rest of Europe scramble to stock up on gas in preparation for winter and minimize their reliance on Russian energy imports. Germany is the largest economy in Europe; gas is necessary to fuel its industries, supply heating, and generate electricity.

The German government activated the second phase of its three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies last month, saying that Europe's largest economy was facing a "crisis" and that winter storage targets were in jeopardy. Germany's gas storage was 65.1% complete as of Wednesday.

The German government has authorized the reactivation of ten idle coal-fired power plants and six oil-fueled power plants to compensate for deficits. Eleven additional coal-fired power units scheduled for shutdown in November will be permitted to remain operational.