Vladimir Putin flaunts his firepower. (Wikimedia Commons)

The 28 EU countries are planning to negotiate closer economic cooperation with Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia at an upcoming summit scheduled for Nov. 23 - 24.

The Russian response was ominous.

Dmitri O. Rogozin, a Russian deputy prime minister, visited Moldova to warn its officials that it would be "a grave mistake" for Moldova to establish closer relations with Europe.

Moldova, still a developing nation, is nearly entirely dependent on Russian gas for heat energy - something that Russia knows very well.

"We hope that you will not freeze," said Rogozin about the coming winter, after a visit to Moldova last month.

Russia's bullish tactics in Moldova are just one of the many instances of political bullying directed at several neighboring post-soviet Republics in an attempt to consolidate economic power.

According to the NYTimes, "Russia has been whispering threats and gripping throats, bluntly telling smaller neighbors that they would be better off joining Russia's customs union with Kazakhstan and Belarus."

The Customs Union was founded between Balrus, Kazakhstan, and Russia in 2010 as a first step towards forming an economic union similar to that of the E.U.

To put the situation into perspective, the Moscow Times describes a "longstanding geopolitical standoff" between the European Union and Eastern Russian-led economic interests.

Naturally, association with the E.U. rather than the Customs Union signifies Russia's defeat in this conflict - leading Russia to react negatively to what it believes is "'treacherous' behavior of the former Soviet republics."

Assuming this is what's motivating Russia's recent scare tactics, the political pressure from Russia's discontent can be felt strongest in the small, economically developing country of Moldova.

Russia's also been banning Moldovan wine, a major Moldovan export, because of dubious "health concerns."

Ukraine's also feeling some heat: in August, Russia stopped all Ukrainian imports at the border for extreme customs scrutiny.

The customs crackdown on Ukrainian goods were lifted, but may become permanent, especially if Ukraine signs agreements with the European Union - a move that Putin's economic aide Sergei Glazyev calls "suicidal."