German utility firm Uniper reported a €12.3bn first-half loss, saying it had been pushed to the “brink of insolvency” by an enormous drop in Russian fuel deliveries. The loss by Europe’s largest importer of Russian fuel is without doubt one of the largest by a German firm, eclipsing Bayer’s €10.5bn loss in 2020. Uniper chief government Klaus-Dieter Maubach warned on Wednesday that Europe confronted a grim power outlook this winter.