I believe that there are some very ruthless international power brokers striking out at Russia today. Their terrorist brinkmanship witnessed in Russia today may very well lead to WWIII. I do not believe the Chechens would be so stupid as to carry out such terrible atrocities knowing the terrible repercussions of such brutal acts of terror. It just doesn't make any sense. I could be wrong though!
What does make sense though is that President Putin has neutralized the western power brokers who wanted Yukos to fall into their hands. Why is that so important? The clue maybe an article by energy expert Matt Simmons published in Petroleum News at the beginning of August 2004
http://www.petroleumnews.com/pnads/238338932.shtml in which he states the world may face a cataclysm in 3-4 years time. The reason being that Saudi Arabia's massive oil wells may have peaked and are on an irreversible and sharp decline.
I believe President Putin knows this and has acted accordingly. Afterall, Russia like the US has many spy satellites passing around the globe. They can easily gauge oil production in the Middle East and elsewhere. It doesn't take a rocket science to figure out what is going on on the ground. Activity in the oil fields can easily be measured by satellites and analysed by experts. No doubt President Putin and other leaders are kept abreast of energy developments around the globe.
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/98/386/14059_oil.html