In the spring, Bulgaria was in the midst of an energy quagmire. The country had condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, yet it was still heavily reliant on Russian energy to meet its country’s demands. It was a bold move, considering most of its natural gas was imported from Russia. Moreover, its only oil refinery was owned by Russia’s Lukoil. As tensions grew between the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin halted gas shipments to the nation. Yet, the little country didn’t submit to Putin; it worked around him.