THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR RUSSIA IN GLOBAL ENERGY MARKETS
📌 OPENING – THE ENERGY WINDOW Every crisis creates winners and losers. The Middle East conflict, which began in October 2023 and continues through 2026, has devastated Gaza, displaced millions, and threatened regional stability. The human cost has been catastrophic. But in the cold calculus of geopolitics, the crisis has also created opportunities — and no power has seized them more effectively than Russia in the energy sector. Before October 7, 2023, Russia was already a major energy power. But it was under unprecedented sanctions. Its European gas market was collapsing. Its oil faced price caps. Its economy was under pressure. After October 7, 2023, the world's attention shifted. The Red Sea became a danger zone. The Strait of Hormuz loomed as a potential flashpoint. European nations scrambled for alternative energy supplies. Asian buyers worried about supply disruptions. And Russia was there — not causing the crisis, but exploiting it. This is the fourteenth article in Cakraneg...