The Russians were sizing BO up from Day One!!

And, if it cost them $90 per barrel to recover the oil, then that "whopping $2.50" is a 25% reduction in their profits. Maybe you thing $90 is too high, but even at $80 that is still a 12.5% drop in profits. "The Russian oil industry claims to be in need of huge investment.[11]" (wiki). Without these profits, future growth is substantially reduced and it feed upon itself.