Russia Gives Ukraine Extra Week to Pay for Gas

But would you believe Moscow might not be acting out of kindness? Of course you would:

Around 500 insurgents attacked the headquarters of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service in Luhansk at about 4 a.m. local time, it said in a statement on its website. Fighting continued for at least seven hours. Eight rebels and seven border guards were wounded. Separatists were shooting from residential buildings to avoid being attacked from the air, the border service said.

The Russian move on gas preceded the resumption of discussions with Ukraine in Brussels today on a deal to keep the gas flowing amid the conflict. It also came before President Vladimir Putin visits France for commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the World War II allied landings.

“Moscow possibly did not want the prospect of gas cuts this week to dominate the agenda and sour the mood for Putin’s visits,” Tim Ash, head of emerging-markets research at Standard Bank Plc in London, said in an e-mail.

Generate nice headlines for the West while generating maximum chaos for Ukraine.