Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has multiple dimensions, and the energy dimension is one that has been underestimated. Russia has sought to make Ukraine dependent on its abundant energy since 2006. The reason is simple: Russia wants economic and political control over Ukraine and it wants to enmesh Ukraine’s government and elites in a web of energy-based state-sponsored corruption that will only perpetuate that dependence. Russian oil and gas—perhaps the most critical day-to-day weapon in Russia’s foreign policy arsenal—passes through Ukraine to Southern, Eastern, and Central Europe, which ties both sides into an unhappy yet hitherto inescapable marriage. …read more
Source: Atlantic Council