cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/8910976

The Russian gas industry is under heavy sanction by Western governments.

Nevertheless, high volumes of Russian helium and other energy supplies find their way into global markets, via middlemen in China.

In the opening days of the Persian Gulf War, Iran hit Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan gas complex with drones and missiles, immediately switching off a third of the global supply of helium for up to five years.

Helium distributors are rationing shipments, raising prices, and prioritizing deliveries to hospitals and the highest-margin customers in the tech industry.