On November 8, 2011, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev officially inaugurated the Nord Stream pipeline. The pipeline was marketed as an attempt to reduce Russian dependence on transit pipelines through Belarus and Ukraine, and drew heavy criticism from governments of transit countries, such as Poland and Ukraine. In October 2012, the second section of the Nord Stream gas pipeline was officially inaugurated. New Russian gas pipelines to Europe increase dependence on Russian energy supplies.