According to the German gas transport operator, Gascade, the Yamal-Europe pipeline has seen a halt in gas flow - again - and the gas is flowing back to Russia. The gas was reportedly heading towards Germany.  

This would be the second time this happens lately, as today, Saturday, one of the three major pipelines transporting Russian gas to western Europe experiences a return. This reversal of gas resulted in the rising of European gas futures into a 23% surge. 

The gas flow was put to a halt between 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM Moscow time, then reversing from Germany to Poland began to take place. The Yamal-Europe Pipeline runs through Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany. The reverse flows are measured to be 139,500 cubic meters per hour.

Why did this happen? 

Russia has been accused of restraining supplies in order to coerce Germany as well as the EU into embracing Nord Stream 2. The exhausting process of the licensing of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could be, at large, attributed to US pressure to obstruct the project. 

Russia has denied allegations of restraining material and has promised to provide by November 8 as soon as their gas stocks recover. Gazprom insisted that the Europeans' gas requests were fulfilled completely, while the fluctuations in the demands depended on the requirements of purchasers.