Whether by coincidence or design, Russian authorities are threatening to stop the Hungarian MOL company's oil extraction in Russia at the same time as Surgut Neftegaz appears to be forcing its way into MOL's ownership in Hungary (EDM, April 3, 6, 22, June 10, 24).... MORE

The inter-governmental agreement (IGA) on the Nabucco project, signed on July 13, depends existentially on Azerbaijan for start-up and first-phase gas supplies. Azerbaijan remains a staunch supporter of Nabucco and other components of the E.U.'s Southern Corridor project, but not an unconditional supporter to be... MORE

One traditional resource which Russia has valued beyond hydrocarbons and land is vodka, the nation's traditional moral and physical painkiller. Nikolai Kostomarov, a nineteenth century Russian historian, wrote that at the dawn of Russian history a feast was a major social event, with the goal... MORE

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review of its stabilization program for Ukraine on July 10. A visiting IMF delegation recommended that the IMF board grant Ukraine the third $3.3 billion tranche of the $16.4 billion stand-by loan. Kyiv received the previous two... MORE

Moscow and Beijing have hailed what they describe as a bilateral strategic partnership, but Russian and Chinese state-run energy companies struggle to agree to a compromise on energy prices. Both sides insisted that the visit by China's President Hu Juntao to Russia on June 16-18... MORE

The Russian word "dacha" loosely means "country house." The dacha concept, however, is much broader than that. It personifies both the Russian way of life, and the Russian dream, if there ever was one. Dachas come in different shapes and sizes, ranging from summer wooden... MORE

Ankara has reportedly finally given the green light to the Nabucco project, and the intergovernmental agreement might be signed on July 13. When the news broke on the Russian deal with Azerbaijan (EDM, July 2), the Turkish media initially suggested it represented a lethal blow... MORE

During his four-year reign the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has behaved unpredictably both in domestic and international policy. Domestically, the president alienated most of his former supporters by gradually stripping them of power. Internationally, Bakiyev has maneuvered around the issue of the Manas airbase, where... MORE

Meeting in Baku on June 29, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev witnessed the signing of an agreement on Azerbaijani gas deliveries to Russia. The initial volumes are small, but the agreement as such is a powerful reminder that the Western-backed... MORE

Chinese demand is voracious for Turkmen gas. Russia's import stoppage (see above article) can only strengthen Turkmenistan's motivation to start exports to China on schedule in early 2010. With Russia demonstrating its unreliability as a gas importer (let alone supplier to others), Beijing is using... MORE