In the last decade, Russia and the West have made a number of mutual accusations of politicization of energy supplies. These accusations came on the heels of a general deterioration of mutual relations between these two blocs.

The biggest concerns have been related to the natural gas supplies, especially after the 2009 supply crisis. The southeastern European states sustained the hardest blow in this crisis, as all Russian gas supplies flowing through Ukraine were stopped. On top of that, the impact on these states was more severe than in other parts of Europe due to their import dependency and the structure of their economies.

In this book, the author addresses the question whether Russia really misuses gas supplies for its policy goals and what the conditions for such use are. Based on 13 case studies, the author examines whether Russia, through the state-owned company Gazprom and its subsidiaries, subscribes to a so-called strategic approach to energy policy. In other words, whether these companies serve as foreign policy tools for its homeland government.