Germany has finally reached this Oh My God moment, when the country realizes that it is dependent on Russian gas to get through the winter, and that they have not prepared for a plan B.
If, in the worst-case scenario, Russia were to invade Ukraine this weekend and cut off gas supplies immediately, gas supplies would get tight within a few weeks, before the end of the winter. Since nobody can predict temperatures, rationing would have to be introduced immediately.
Do not underestimate the political dynamics of what happens when people freeze to death. Right now, half of German households depend on gas as their primary heating source. So do many industrial companies.
From an article in: http://eurointelligence.com/