In recent decades, Germany and other European countries have become increasingly dependent on Russian gas supplies to meet their energy needs. The Nord Stream II Baltic Sea pipeline, which was intended to transport gas from Russia to Germany and was due to come into operation in 2022, has repeatedly been heavily criticized by Germany's allies as it would only deepen this dependency. Due to the expected Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) decided to stop the certification process for Nord Stream II, to which the cartoon shown refers: A figure recognizable as Germany blocks the pipe of the pipeline with a cork.