The Russian government Aug. 28 ordered its oil companies to cut deliveries to Belarus by about a quarter after Belarus arrested Vladislav Baumgertner, the CEO of Russian potash firm Uralkali, earlier the week of Aug. 26, Reuters reported.
Since 2003, the Kremlin has aggressively reconsolidated state control over its energy sector and demonstrated an increased willingness to use energy as a tool to influence countries that depend on its resources. Many of those countries have attempted to diversify from Russian energy dependence, but Moscow continues to hold considerable influence.
