In the good old days, when Russian President Vladimir Putin was in his prime and relations with the West were in decent shape, it was common to call Russia “an energy superpower.” Through the 2000s, oil and natural gas exports boosted the country’s growth and enhanced Putin’s legitimacy. Energy added to Moscow’s geopolitical clout, too, not least in Europe. Even after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, European Union members pressed ahead with pipeline projects such as TurkStream and Nord Stream