Energy Resources and Markets – Perspectives on the Russia–Ukraine War

Abstract

<jats:p>This article explains the causes of the Russia–Ukraine war starting in 2014 from the energy and energy markets perspective, based on resource dependency theory and the conceptual framework outlined by Jeffrey D. Colgan (2013). Our findings reveal that Russia is critically dependent on revenue from gas exports to Ukraine and the European Union, but also that Ukraine’s energy deposits and pipeline system have the potential to be a direct competitive threat to Russia’s energy exports. This paper argues that this was the underlying reason and main causal pathway leading to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the subsequent war in eastern Ukraine.</jats:p>

Hegemonic Sanctions and Global Economic Ramifications in the Context of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict: A Commentary

“…The unfolding military intervention by Russia in Ukraine is multifaceted, resulting mainly from the several years of tension between the two countries, which insidiously escalated from multiple layers of issues that accumulated over these years. Some examples of relevant events that may have contributed to the invasion (see also Mearsheimer, 2014;Chengyi, 2017;Johannesson and Clowes, 2022) include inter alia NATO's failure to abide by the reassurances given by James Baker to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 related to its Eastern expansion, which may be perceived as threatening or weakening Russian's future position in world's affairs (e.g., economically, politically, militarily) 4 ; the political shift and Crimean crisis in 2014 5 ; the unfulfillment of various items included in the Minsk agreements; the military modernization and empowerment of Ukraine's armed forces since the Crimean crisis (see also the 2021 US-Ukraine military cooperation statement); the 2021 diplomatic incident between Russia and United Kingdom (UK); and most recently Russia's 'recognition' of the independence of two separatist regions (Donetsk and Luhansk). The conflict also coincides with the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which could have doubled the energy capacity in the European region, thereby strengthening the economic relationship between Europe and Russia.…”

Why did Putin go too far? The rationality of Vladimir Putin’s decision to begin a war with Ukraine

“…The leaders of the most important European countries were constantly visiting the Kremlin and calling Putin to maintain any contact since they could not expect any concessions. In addition, to a greater or lesser extent, all European countries were dependent on Russia in terms of supplies of raw materials, mainly oil and gas (Johannesson & Clowes, 2022). Although the West did not have the strength, capacity, and readiness to oppose Russia, it did so.…”

Exploring channels and gaps in information dissemination and acquisition among energy scientists and the public: The southeast Asian context

“…But as the world enters a post-COVID-19 industrial world, where energy consumption surges back to pre-pandemic rates, the need for clean and sustainable energy sources becomes more salient. This occurs against the backdrop of changing political dynamics, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that has hampered oil supply and has brought fluctuations to the global oil market [ 5 , 6 ]. These highlight the necessity of adopting alternative resources to overcome environmental, economic, and political risks caused by a reliance on traditional energy.…”