Europe’s Eastern Front: Who in the East is Paying for Russia’s Tanks? (2/2)

The Tank Index 2024

Some nations fought the war in their gas valves before they fought it in speeches.

Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia—these are not just vocal defenders of Ukraine. They are also, crucially, energy secessionists. They cut off Russian gas entirely. Not partially. Not rhetorically. Entirely.

This is the Eastern flank of Europe. The moral spine. The ones who know, from history and proximity, what Russia does when appeased. Their imports? Zero. Their dependency? Terminated. Their moral clarity? Proven by deeds, not communiqués.

Czechia: The Outlier in Camouflage

Take Czechia, just as an example for this study of the real-world distance between rhetoric and reality.

Its President, Petr Pavel, wears the face of martial resolve. A former NATO general, he warns that Ukraine must not become the Czech past. He speaks of memory, of absurd wars, of duty. And yet, beneath the speeches and medals, lies a quieter betrayal: Czechia still pays Russia approximately $1.2 billion a year for gas. That alone funds 141 Russian T-90 tanks annually.

So while President Pavel says, "we must do everything in our power," the Czech gas network quietly fills Kremlin coffers. This is less theatre and more thermodynamics. You cannot sanction with one hand and subsidise with the other without being something other than true.

Tank Index of the East