Summary
We Brits love an underdog. As Robert Baden-Powell harrumphed in his classic Scouting for Boys, 'If you see a big bully going for a small weak boy, you stop him because it is not "fair play".' Gazprom's price hike provoked great howls of indignation in some circles of the British press, particularly as Russia has this week taken over the rotating chairmanship of the G8, and the issue will certainly embarrass Western leaders.
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Extract
Putin Plays the Market
I don't believe that I can be alone in having spent a Russian or Ukrainian winter with the windows of my room wide open. Many buildings in that part of the world are dreadfully overheated, for the simple reason that energy is so cheap. Soon, however, Ukrainians will have to learn to close their windows. Until this week, the Russian gas company Gazprom charged Ukrainian consumers $50 for every 1,000 cubic metres of gas they used.
On Sunday Gazprom demanded that they pay $230. The Ukrainians' first response was to refuse, and the Russians turn...See the full content of this document
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