The story of Russia turning off the gas to punish Ukraine for some perceived indignity will be familiar to most Eurasianet readers. Somewhat less known is the story of Russia’s dependence on Ukraine – specifically, Ukraine’s pipeline infrastructure. As Europe’s purchases of Russian gas increased over the past decade, Russia was slow to build alternative shipping routes. That lack of options became clearer at the end of 2019, when Moscow was forced to sign a new transit contract with Kyiv. Russian gas exports to Europe (including Turkey) rose from 138.6 billion cubic meters in 2010 to 200.8 bcm in 2018, according to ... (full story)