The Gazprom-Ukraine natural gas price-supply fiasco seemed to be drawing to a close yesterday, but not before some last-minute threats to keep things interesting. The Russians are on a New Year’s Eve vigorous offensive, claiming that the Ukrainians are carrying out “blackmail” and threatening to seize supplies and cut off Europe. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said that a letter received from Naftogaz had reduced the chances of clinching a gas deal before midnight: “If yesterday we had a 50:50 chance of reaching a deal today it is now 70:30, or a crisis scenario.“
Shareholders of Imperial Energy, a British-based firm with most of its assets in Russia, have agreed to a buyout by ONGC, the Indian state-owned company.
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Putin’s Rise to Pop Culture Humor
For the BBC, it’s a breaking news story; for author Steve LeVine, it’s the subject of his polemic new book; but for Anthony Lane, the rather apolitical film critic of the New Yorker, the Vladimir Putin’s reputation for state-sponsored murder…