A major German city has turned off hot water and heating after Russia stopped supplying the country with gas.
Hanover has switched off heating in public buildings and swimming pools and lights in museums in an effort to save energy.
The move comes amid soaring prices caused by Vladimir Putin's decision to stop sending gas supplies to Germany, which bought 55 per cent of its natural gas from Russia before the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Town halls will not be heated and monuments will no longer be lit up after Gazprom - Russia's state-owned energy firm - restricted supplies by 20 per cent.
Mayor of Hanover, Belit Onay, said the Lower Saxony capital needed to reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent in order to combat the "imminent gas shortage", The Sun reported.
Hanover is the first major city in Europe to feel the effects of Russia's gas ban but others are likely to follow over the next few weeks.
A ban on hot water and heating in public buildings is expected to be enforced between April and September each year.
Thermostats in households will be set at just 20C for the remainder of the year, although there will be some exceptions.
Germany's capital city Berlin has begun turning off spotlights that illuminate its historic monuments as part of a nationwide bid to conserve energy in the face of Putin's tactics.
Six monuments have been plunged into darkness since Wednesday evening.
The policy will eventually be rolled out across 200 buildings and landmarks - including the State Opera House and Charlottenburg Palace - over the next four weeks, according to Berlin's chief official for the environment, Bettina Jarasch.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has launched a national campaign to save energy that includes urging residents to turn off air conditioning, encouraging people to use public transport and even pushing for more efficient shower heads.
It is feared that Russia could cut off supplies this winter in retaliation after Western countries slapped crippling sanctions on Moscow as punishment for the war in Ukraine.
