This is not new for the Ruskies. They have been playing their economic hostage and trickery games for a long time now.

I remember years back when they offered to sell the world all the palladium that it wanted. Sure, it sounded great for users but all it did was to create shorts in the market then the Russians pulled the plug by holding back exports and the metal exploded with the all shorts being dragged to the ball mill for a savage beating.