Russia invades Ukraine…

Prompting calls for hard sanctions from the West. Russian forces have launched a full invasion of Ukraine following televised statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This has led to calls for Western nations to impose hard sanctions on Russia, with stricter sanctions like restricting Russian banks access to international payment systems and raw materials exports having been considered by the West should Russian aggression escalate to the level of an invasion.

This has had a strong bullish impact on European energy prices, with supplies of natural gas restricted, exacerbating existing tightness in European energy markets.

USA, UK and EU place moderate sanctions on Russia, including suspension of Nord Stream 2 certification. USA, UK and the EU have announced retaliatory measures against Russia after Russian troops entered Donetsk and Luhansk. Sanctions imposed have been moderate for the time being, impacting certain financial institutions and personalities close to the Russian government.

The most severe has been the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 certification process, though this doesn’t rule out the certification process being reopened at a later date. Western nations have warned of further sanctions should Russian aggression in Ukraine persist, with the potential for an embargo to be placed on Russian exports. The impact of escalating tensions, and tighter sanctions, is likely to be strong bullish for energy markets as gas supplies from Russia are restricted.

The gas market has risen 35% today and is 50% up in the last three days.

The power market has risen 20% today and is 40% up in the last three days.