Russia’s Energy Influence Dropping

Posted: December 6th, 2016

By Balázs Jarábik

Balázs Jarábik is a nonresident scholar in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his research focuses on Eastern and Central Europe with particular focus on Ukraine. Jarábik worked with Pact, Inc. in Kyiv, Ukraine to build its presence as one of the largest international nongovernmental organizations in Eastern Europe, and later served as project director for Pact in Vilnius, Lithuania. Prior to joining Carnegie, Jarábik was an associate fellow at FRIDE in Madrid and senior fellow at the Central European Policy Institute in Bratislava. He was a civic activist in Slovakia in the 1990s, and he later co-founded the Bratislava-based Pontis Foundation's international development projects in the Balkans and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He also worked as a consultant for political parties and civil society organizations in the Balkans and CIS countries, as well as an adviser with wide range of international, governmental, and parliamentary institutions.

Russia undeniably wields some degree of influence over Central and Eastern Europe due to the high volume of energy exports it sends their way. However, that leverage may be overplayed. The Cipher Brief spoke with Balázs Jarábik, a nonresident scholar in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to ask just how forceful Russia’s energy hand is in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Cipher Brief: What is the extent of Russia’s influence on Central Europe as a result of its current dominance in the energy sector?

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