Minsk
Russia stopped supplying gas to Belarus this week, sending the price soaring just as Belarusians were hit by subfreezing temperatures. Belarus has always paid much less than the market price for Russian gas, but this year the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, demanded more money, saying it could no longer afford to subsidize its main foreign customer. So Belarus simply began siphoning off the extra gas it needed from a pipeline meant to supply Poland. Fed up with such thievery, Gazprom turned off the tap. “This is an act of terrorism,” said Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with TrumpTalking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
-
This is what you should know about State Department travel advisories and warningsIn Depth Stay safe on your international adventures
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
