GERMANY scrapped Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline today after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.

It was the first of a series of Western sanctions against Russia and was followed by British action against five Russian banks and three billionaires. 

"In light of the most recent developments, we must reassess the situation in particular regarding Nord Stream 2," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “The situation has fundamentally changed.”