Russia flexing energy muscle

Russia, endowed with vast reserves of gas is the biggest bully in Europe. It has stopped pumping gas to Ukraine which has affected supply to Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, and Austria, according to BBC (the list of countries is to their credit).

Russia now has the power to dictate these countries to kowtow to it. Russia has shut off heat and forced these beleagured people of impoverished Eastern Europe to bow to its pressure. In its hinterland, Russia sent its military to stifle Georgia's attempt to free itself from the Russian yoke. Georgia was denied the right to explore and sell its energy to the West, without listening to Moscow's directives. It looks as if the Chechens were also slaughtered and subjugated just to make Gazprom and its energy supply monopoly fat.

In Chechenya, Russia used heavy armor against ragtag force of Chechen guerillas. It also employed bombers to flatten cities. Along with China, Russia's share in global supply of arms must be mounting. Its military industrial complex feeds world's brutal and autocratic regimes throughout the world.

If one looks at the supply of arms purchased by terrorists and most of it comes from Russian stocks. Russian leadership and its brutality is far from understood. Such brute force pressure tactics has shown that US and Europe is incapable of persuading Russia to show benevolence. Russia hasn't changed since Lenin's time. Brutality, inhumanity, disrespect for human rights are just some of the catalogue of Russian mess in world affairs.