Focus on Russia

The section Focus on Russia holds 3 articles and two columns. The first article looks at the close affiliation between the Russian president Medvedev and Gazprom. However, with energy prices going down, the growing risks for Gazprom might also become a risk for Medvedev. In the second article it is argued that the gas conflict between Ukraine and Russia is not what it appears to be in the western media. It has been going on for at least 15 years and it is really a war between private parties in Russia and Ukraine who engage in illicit gas trading. Article 3 discusses the Chinese threat. While the US and Europe compete for Shtokman gas, China is increasingly asserting itself as an attractive market for Russian energy. Yet, in the end, Russia will give Europe preference, according to the author