And they easily could have. It is cold in Europe right now. 40% of total EU gas comes from Russia. As high as 80% in some countries. 40% in Germany.

In 2009 there was a "Gas war" and Russia did turn off the gas. A lot of people died.

Russia has said that if the EU throws Russia out of SWIFT, it is true that Russia will not be able to receive payment for goods. But that also means that the EU will get no gas, oil or metals from Russia.

Russia did NOT turn off the gas yet. The BBC has reported 50 civilian deaths in the "Russian invasion" of Ukraine. I'm not condoning Russia's actions, but how does that compare to Syria, Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan?

The war in Ukraine has been fought since 2014. There has been fighting there ever since. The war didn't start in 2022.