The Federal Republic of Germany is a highly developed economy; the fourth largest in the world, whose economy is buoyed by high industrialization that is powered through high energy consumption. Germany obtains more than half of its natural gas, a third of its heating oil and half of its coal from the Russian Federation at cheap prices. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union of which Germany is a leading member has started implementing plans to phase out the EU's dependence on Russian energy, which is one of the cheapest in the world, as a punishment to Russia. The early implementation phases of this plan have already resulted in a looming de-industrialization of Germany with industries having to shut down due to lack of energy to operate. Workers are being laid off and the German population braces for a harsh weather as heating oil is rationed.