I hesitate to post given the asinine attacks I was subjected to a couple of months ago on DKos for having the temerity to post on Russia, especially by a pair of individuals who demonstrated the truth of the proposition that engineers, while useful, need stored in secure facilities between projects, but here I go.

I don't know what Balbuz is specifically referring to, but I know I have seen reports that Russian oil production has already plateaued.  Western Europe is paying attention to this, but there is little indication Russia is (unless you consider its efforts to open up the Arctic "paying attention," which I don't, any more than I consider the White House's efforts to open up ANWR to oil drilling to be "paying attention" to US oil consumption) (Speaking of the US, we aren't paying attention to any these issues, which is to be expected as we pay attention only to what Rupert Murdoch tells us to.).  If Russia isn't careful, it can find itself down the road (and not too far down the road, either) having squandered the economic advantage its resources provided, lost the political muscle that advantage created, and created an infrastructure that is not sustainable given the reduced revenue nor is even applicable given the new economic reality.  And that is something the US can lecture Russia on.