Over six months since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, what was to be a three days blitzoperation has turned into an ugly war of attrition with many strategic and tactical surprises. Putin is now doubt now counting on Ukraine and the West to bow first while Russia’s resilience will ultimately prevail and help Russia to lose less than the collapsing Ukraine and West. These two seminars aim at discussing the energy sector dimensions of Russia’s war, and their implications for Europe, as well as how the Kremlin is coping from a political economy perspective to developments it probably has not anticipated.