A new deal for Russia

The French business paper Les Echos analyses Russia's action plan for the crisis: "The Russia of Vladimir Putin is also affected by the crisis, and here the cards are being shuffled and dealt in a new, Russian way. We are now witness to a new round of nationalisations and privatisations, the fourth since the fall of the USSR. What is at stake is control of the world's most important firms in the area of strategic raw materials: oil, gas, steel, diamonds, nickel, gold and precious metals. ... First of all the regime will probably try to help the energy companies, because it is convinced that control of oil and gas supplies to Europe is the key to a new and grand national policy. ... The new deal could be even bigger than the three previous privatisation waves. ... And if you recall earlier times, there should be no shortage of bloody intrigues. But apart from a few exceptions, Western firms are apparently not invited."

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