Russia has a big vulnerability. Energy. Oil money powers her economy. Without that she is a banana republic with nukes.

But without Western technology and financing, not to mention expertise, the oil stays in the ground. The Chinese can back them up with cash. But only the West has the knowhow and Western firms are getting out. Firms like British Petroleum. What does that bode?

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Putin is being squeezed. The oligarchs, the military, and the security services that keep him in power like their Al Capone lifestyles. Oil money fuels that. More squeezing and the weasel might just pop. Then all bets are off. Who or what comes out on top is anyone’s guess.

FNC: “Oil giant BP announced Sunday it will drop its stake in Russian energy company Rosneft – the latest private severance of relations with Russia as the aggressor invades neighboring Ukraine.

BP, which has held a 19.75% stake in Rosneft since 2013, also said its chief executive, Bernard Looney, will resign from the Russian firm’s board, effective immediately. Bob Dudley, a former BP executive, will also resign from Rosneft’s board.”

“I am convinced that the decisions we have taken as a board are not only the right thing to do, but are also in the long-term interests of bp,” Looney said in a statement. “Our immediate priority is caring for our great people in the region and we will do our utmost to support them.”

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The firm cites the war as their reason for exiting. “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an act of aggression which is having tragic consequences across the region,” said BP chairman Helge Lund. “BP has operated in Russia for over 30 years, working with brilliant Russian colleagues. However, this military action represents a fundamental change. We can no longer support BP representatives holding a role on the Rosneft board. The Rosneft holding is no longer aligned with BP’s business and strategy and it is now the board’s decision to exit BP’s shareholding in Rosneft. The BP board believes these decisions are in the best long-term interests of all our shareholders.” The UK Business and Energy Secretary backs up BP.

I welcome BP’s decision to exit its shareholding in Rosneft oil company.

Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine must be a wake up call for British businesses with commercial interests in Putin’s Russia.

— Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) February 27, 2022

As nations pile on Russia stumbles. Even with a win in Ukraine, she has only awakened napping titans. Putin has created his own nemeses. He will regret it.