Europe told to 'prepare immediately' as Russia set to turn off gas exports

EU countries are racing to refill storage sites, with Germany hoping to reach 90 per cent of capacity by November.

Europe needs to prepare "immediately" for Russia to turn off all gas exports to the region this winter, according to the head of the International Energy Agency, who has called on governments to work on reducing demand and keeping nuclear power plants open.

Fatih Birol said that the reductions in supplies in recent weeks the Kremlin has attributed to maintenance work could, in fact, be the beginning of wider cuts designed to prevent the filling of storage facilities in preparation for winter, as Russia seeks to gain leverage over the region, The Guardian reported.

"Europe should be ready in case Russian gas