Germany's Nord Stream pipelines, built by Russian oil giant Gazprom, were meant to secure energy supply by bypassing transit countries. Despite opposition from the US and eastern Europe, construction continued — even after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz backed Nord Stream 2 in 2021, but Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 halted the project. Then, in September 2022, sabotage destroyed parts of the pipelines.