Why did Russia decrease pressure? It didn't want to pay Ukraine and thought that transit is for free. Maybe she thought that Ukraine wouldn't have the balls to take this share from the pipe. ==
It was criminal impudence but not "balls". This behaivior spoiled the opinion about Ukraine between millions of people. You may say that you don't care.
Who knows maybe one day Ukraine will ask russian help as she did many times before. Maybe Russia will not asnwer.
How else to deal with you?- you were smuggling gas through Ukraine.