Falin-Kvitsinsky Doctrine

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The Falin-Kvitsinsky doctrine is a political doctrine formulated in the USSR. It assumes that in relation to the former Warsaw Pact countries, the military influence of the Soviet Union was to be replaced by the dependence of these countries on Russian gas and oil supplies. [1]

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History

During the process of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet deputy foreign minister Yuli Kvitsinsky  [ ru ] together with the last Soviet ambassador to Germany, Valentin Falin, formulated the Falin-Kvitsinsky doctrine which assumes that the then military influence of the Soviet Union in the territory of the Warsaw Pact countries will not be sustained against the declining economy of the USSR and should be replaced with the dependence of the countries in this area on oil and gas, since the raw materials and energy industry appeared to be the foundation in the process of rebuilding Russia's position as a superpower on the international scene. [2] [3] By the end of 1990 the Soviet leadership developed a strategy in the form of the Falin-Kvitsinsky doctrine which was aimed at the Finlandization of Central and Eastern Europe, since the doctrine accused the West of ‘ousting’ Russia from the region, in which Russia had essential strategic interests. [4]

Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, many countries of the former Warsaw Pact remained dependant on Russian supplies of energy resources. Fears of Russian revisionism and the Russian Federation's treatment of energy resources in terms of political weapons, for example through the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, have led the countries of the region to take certain measures. [5] [6] Russia has the largest production of natural gas in the world and oil production by Russia has increased drastically, especially over the early-2000s, which has led to a continued dependency on Russia for energy resources, by previous satellite countries. [7] About 80% of the natural gas that Russia exports to Western Europe goes through the territory of Ukraine. This has incentivized Russia to continue Influencing the political agenda of the country and other former Warsaw Pact and USSR countries. [8]

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia has halted gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland and Netherlands for not paying in roubles to shield the country from sanctions. [9] [10] Similarly, following Finland's application to join NATO, Russia stopped providing natural gas to the country. [11] Russia has also reduced gas exports to Germany and Italy without offering an explanation. [12]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Problems of energy security of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Baltic States". The Warsaw Institute Review. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "What are the threats to Europe from energy dependence on Russia?". Historyczny Ambasador. November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. ↑ Kruszyńska, Anna. "Professor Andrzej Nowak: Polish and Russian political cultural traditions are polar opposites". Ministry of Education and Science of Poland. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Fedorov, Yuty E. (11 July 2013). "Continuity and change in Russia's policy toward Central and Eastern Europe". Communist and Post-Communist Studies. 46 (3): 315–326. doi:10.1016/j.postcomstud.2013.06.003 . Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Problems of energy security of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Baltic States". The Warsaw Institute Review. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Jakóbik, Wojciech (21 April 2021). "Putin's new energy weapon is a threat to Ukraine. Poles may help". Biznes Alert. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Balmaceda, Margarita M (25 April 2017). "Energy Dependency, Politics and Corruption in the Former Soviet Union: Russia's Power, Oligarchs' Profits, and Ukraine's Missing Energy Policy, 1995-2006". Post-Soviet Affairs. 27.1 (2011): 93–95.
  8. ↑ Rutland, Peter (26 April 2017). "Russia as an Energy Superpower". New Political Economy. 13.2 (2008): 203–10.
  9. ↑ Strzelecki, Marek; Tsolova, Tsvetelia; Polityuk, Pavel (27 April 2022). "Russia halts gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Russia halts gas supplies to Netherlands. Denmark could be next". South China Morning Post. 31 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Russia halts gas supplies to Finland". Euractiv. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Russia reduces gas exports to Germany and Italy in 'political' move". Financial Times. 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
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