As Russia struggles to maintain its offensive in Ukraine, Putin is attempting to leverage the country’s vast energy influence to squeeze the West. Putin’s aggressive use of energy exports is bringing more problems for the Russian oil and gas industry, which is already struggling from broken ties with Western partners. With its degraded economy, Russia stands no chance against a determined West and defiant Ukraine in the war of attrition. The long-promised Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south has not yet delivered any breakthrough, but it still signifies a critical turning point for the war: Russia cannot hope to win by sticking to the pattern of trench warfare and artillery duels. Some “patriotic” commentators have suggested that the failures of Ukrainian attacks would pave the way for a new Russian offensive toward Mykolaiv and Odesa, but the Kremlin’s high command hardly entertains such strategic fantasies ( Svobodnaya pressa , September […]