Another reason Pukin is doing this is the opportune time because he knows we’re divided and Joek is in “command.”
Like Japan pre-WWII - attack the states in the area (southeast asia) with energy reserves, on the justification that (a) they are needed for Japan’s industry, and (b) get them before (or after) they are sowed up by the Brits, Dutch, French, Portugese, American’s, ect. Yet, post WWII, in a peaceful cooperative economic order, Japan found she could get contracts for those same sources.
Gasprom and Rosnet - the two giant Russian energy companies - could have merely outbid Shell and Chevron for energy sources in Crimea, without Putin’s imperialist ambitions. So Russian companies having access to fossil fuels in Crimea did not REQUIRE Putin invading Crimea.
Energy sources are at the end of the day excuses for Putin, not absolute natural causes of his behavior.
That.