Word: russian
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...With Russian dissidents being murdered in Moscow and London, do you see a new type of Russian totalitarianism? No, but Russia is such a unique creation. It has always been under some form of dictatorship and does not know by experience what democracy is. But Russian politics and society are so complex I don't dare go into an analysis...
...Russian President Vladimir Putin threw a major fit on state television Monday night. In a vituperative appearance, he accused the neighboring nation of Belarus of ungratefulness and intransigence in the ugly quarrel over energy prices and pipelines. He said that Russia had virtually subsidized the neo-Stalinist regime of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko over the past five years. Now the Belarussians' illegal tapping of tens of thousands of tons of oil had forced Moscow to shut down the pipeline that runs through Belarus - inconveniencing not just Russian oil companies but their energy-hungry customers farther to the west, including Germany...
...president of another country, was immensely popular in Russia because he loudly advocated the reintegration of Belarus with Russia - so much so that some analysts believed he was maneuvering for the top position at the Kremlin itself. At that time, Lukashenko cut a much more attractive figure than then Russian President Boris Yeltsin. But the rise of Vladimir Putin ended Lukashenko's advance. However, even today, some polls put Lukashenko's approval among Russians at 25%, way above the numbers generated by the putative political heirs of Putin himself...
...German government said its supplies were secure but that Berlin was watching the developments "with concern" and appealed to Russian and Belarussian authorities to "fulfill their obligations of delivery and transit." Germany depends on the pipeline for one-fifth of its oil imports. Poland receives 50% of its oil from Russia and most of it comes through the pipeline. Warsaw, however, says it has enough oil for 80 days and, if needed, can receive shipments through Baltic ports. Polish newspapers have started calling the controversy "The Russia-Belarus...
...calling the Lukashenko regime "impulsive and fraudulent," with political commentary depicting Belarus as a virtual enemy state, rather than an erstwhile ally. The fear in Belarus is that Russia is using energy supplies as a cudgel to take over Belarus' economy in order to forcibly reintegrate Belarus into the Russian federation. Indeed, Lukashenko played on those fears at the Orthodox Christmas rites last night at the Minsk Cathedral, delivering a pledge to preserve Belarus' sovereignty. But now with Europe's dependence on Russian oil in play, other nations are likely to get into this two-country drama...