So true. Russia is not going to go to war with NATO or anybody else. They are the champions of sabre rattling. Thats about it.
When Russia decided to cut off LNG supplies to Belorussia and inderectly to Poland it had surplus. At the moment Russia has budget deficit. If one wants to check this data it has to ignore Russia Today, Rian or other Pravda and consult independent opinions, for instance, by Andriei Ilarionov. Cutting LNG or the oil suppllies off may sound very simple but it is also serious business and legal problem. Even Putin cannot push any button, as Mr Owen assumes, to do it. In this situation such move seems to be very unlikely. Especially because Russia have just opened a new pipeline on the Baltic seabed in cooperation with the Western companies. Such move could threaten the bond trust. Even Kremlin would not do it. However the confrontation over Syria is something else. It is just a reminder of a new/old demarcation line in the West. And possibly another propagadistic victory for Kremlin if the US administration will allow for it. But Russians won’t use the oil or LNG as a political weapon against the West. Kremlin worked too long to convince/lure that Gazprom is another Conoco-Philips or Shell company on the market. At least at the moment they will not use it for their political purposes.
The “confrontation” does not have to mean “military”. And in fact in this article it does not mean. In Pristina Russian have just threatened/put pressure and won what they wanted. This strategy maybe used again. After all Soviets almost always threatened verbally (at some point Krushchev only with his shoe) during Cold War (if one forgets proxy wars). But the West was seeking peaceful solutions. Until president, Magnus Ronald Reagan appeared.