Russia's International Images and its Energy Policy. An Unreliable Supplier?

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, the Russian authorities have invested significant effort into promoting a positive image of Russia as an energy supplier. Yet, Russia's behaviour sometimes seems to contradict the declared aim of improving this image. A particularly interesting case is the way the Russian authorities and Gazprom handled the dispute with Ukraine over gas prices in December 2008–January 2009, when the transit of Russian gas to a number of EU member states via Ukraine was seriously affected. This essay argues that in order to understand Russia's position during the crisis, one should take into account the impact of international images on Russian politics, in particular self-images and constructed images that the Russian authorities have been projecting in the West and in Russia itself.