Re: Price Caps....Russian Response
I think the West very much underestimates how angry and shocked Russia is at the military losses it is suffering to complete its minimal acceptable outcome in Ukraine.
In addition to the constant meat grinder of men and equipment at the front, the recent employment of GPS guided US HiMARS rocket systems has in the past 14 days led to the destruction of several extremely large Russian ammo dumps that were previously out of range of any accurate Ukranian weapons. Some of these explosions have had mushroom clouds visible from Ukranian lines 40 miles away.
The carnage for the Russians has now hit well beyond anything they ever anticipated.
The point of this?
They will be looking for vengence this winter. I think they will blow thier own pipeline in the early fall and claim sabotage or sanction inflcited maintence failures caused it. Something that takes it offline all winter. Maybe blow Nordstream and Belarus pipes too.
I think the Russians will want to inflict real pain this winter if they can. Europe (and the rest of the West) has inflicted a titanic blow on the Russian military and the Russians do not forgive or forget.