Under the mediation of the international community, the two sides reached a ceasefire agreement in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in September 20 14 and February 20 15 respectively. Since then, large-scale armed conflicts have been controlled, but there have also been small-scale exchanges of fire. The rebels in eastern Ukraine announced the massive evacuation of local residents to Russia on the grounds that Ukraine may take military action. Rostov region in southern Russia declared a state of emergency because the number of refugees from eastern Ukraine continued to increase. Will sanctions be imposed on Russia's actions? Big and serious? Its consequences involve the financial, energy and transportation sectors, dual-use products, export control and export financing, and visa policies. More Russian individuals and entities will be included in the EU sanctions list. EU leaders also demanded that personal and economic sanctions be imposed on Belarus and put forward concrete proposals as soon as possible.
Gazprom suspended the last working turbine for maintenance reasons, and the Beixi 1 pipeline is now completely paralyzed. This series of suspension has caused great panic in Europe, and many people are worried that Russia will close the Beixi 1 pipeline forever. Observers pointed out that in the face of such a situation, it has to be said that Russia is retaliating against the West. After all, how severe the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and Europe were, now Russia's counterattack is more powerful. Russia regards energy as a strategic weapon. The shortage of natural gas in Europe and the rise of domestic natural gas prices have brought great crisis to enterprises and citizens. After all, Europe has not found an alternative supplier of natural gas, and even if it finds a suitable supplier, it will bear high costs.