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Late senator John McCain once said that “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.” There was some truth in his statement after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the economy. The hydrocarbon wealth of the world’s largest country prevented a total economic meltdown and provided a financial lifeline. Moscow has funneled some of the income from oil and gas exports into rebuilding the economy and improving its international standing. Although Russia might not be the superpower it once was during the…