RUSSIA

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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"Fuels from Russian oil gets backdoor entry into Europe via India"


By Mohi Narayan and Nidhi Verma

April 5, 2023

NEW DELHI, April 5 (Reuters) - Record high imports of crude oil from Russia in fiscal 2022-23 helped India's refiners boost exports of diesel and jet fuel to Europe as the continent shunned Russian products, preliminary ship-tracking data from Kpler and Vortexa showed.

Access to cheap Russian crude has boosted output and profits at Indian refineries, enabling them to export refined products competitively to Europe and take bigger market share.


Europe typically imported an average of 154,000 barrels per day (bpd) of diesel and jet fuel from India before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

That increased to 200,000 bpd after the European Union banned Russian oil products imports from Feb. 5, Kpler data showed.

India's imports of Russian crude in March rose for the seventh straight month to end out the fiscal year as top supplier to India, displacing Iraq for the first time, the data showed.

Indian refiners, which rarely bought Russian oil previously due to high transport costs, imported 970,000-981,000 bpd of it in 2022/23, accounting for more than a fifth of overall imports at 4.5-4.6 million bpd, Kpler and Vortexa data showed.

Imports from Iraq slipped to 936,000-961,000 bpd from nearly 1 million bpd in 2021/22, the data showed.

While Russia's flagship grade Urals makes up the bulk of India's purchases, refiners are also importing lighter grades from Russia's Far East and Arctic grades such as Sokol, Arco, Novy Port and ESPO blend.

Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft and top Indian refiner Indian Oil Corp have signed a term deal to substantially increase and diversify oil grades delivered to India.

OIL PRODUCTS

As Europe's ban kept Russian products out, India's diesel exports to the continent rose 12-16% to 150,000-167,000 bpd in the last fiscal year, the Kpler and Vortexa data showed.

That accounted for about 30% of India's total gasoil exports, up from 21-24% a year earlier, the data showed.

The key European buyers of Indian diesel are France, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, the Kpler data showed.

Europe accounted for about 50% of India's jet fuel exports, or around 70,000-75,000 bpd in 2022/23, up 40,000-42,000 bpd the previous year, the data showed.

Besides increasing exports to Europe, India has also boosted vacuum gas oil shipments to the U.S.

The U.S. took about 11,000-12,000 bpd of VGO in 2022/23, or 65-81% of India's overall exports of the refining feedstock that can be processed further to produce fuels such as gasoline and diesel, the data showed.

In 2021/22, India exported only around 500 bpd of VGO to the United States.

However, India's total annual refined fuel exports in 2022/23 were lower than a year earlier as some refiners shut units for maintenance in later half of 2022.

Reporting by Mohi Narayan and Nidhi Verma; editing by Florence Tan and Jason Neely

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 023-04-05/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"India and China snap up Russian oil in April above 'price cap'"


Reuters

April 18, 2023

MOSCOW, April 17 (Reuters) - India and China have snapped up the vast majority of Russian oil so far in April at prices above the Western price cap of $60 per barrel, according to traders and Reuters calculations.

That means the Kremlin is enjoying stronger revenues despite the West's attempts to curb funds for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.


A G7 source told Reuters on Monday the Western price cap would remain unchanged for now, despite pressure from some European Union countries, such as Poland, to lower the cap to increase pressure on Moscow.

The advocates of the cap say it reduces revenues for Russia while allowing oil to flow, but its opponents say it is too soft to force Russia to backtrack on its activities in Ukraine.

The latest data from Refinitiv Eikon suggest Russian Urals oil cargoes that loaded in the first half of April are mostly heading to India's and China's ports.

India accounts for more than 70% of the seaborne supplies of the grade so far this month and China for about 20%, Reuters calculations show.

Meanwhile, lower freight rates and smaller discounts for Urals against global benchmarks nudged the daily price of the grade back above the cap earlier in April from a period of trading below.

India and China have not agreed to abide by the price cap, but the West had hoped the threat of sanctions might deter traders from helping those countries buy oil above the cap.

A G7 price cap coalition official said the system was working.

"We recognize that as markets evolve there will be fluctuations of the discounts that Russia receives relative to global market prices," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"But the prices Russia receives for its oil remain well below those earned by other producers, which reflects the effects of the global sanctions regime."

Average discounts for Urals were at $13 per barrel to dated Brent on a DES (delivered ex-ship) basis in Indian ports and $9 to ICE Brent in Chinese ports, according to traders, while shipping costs were $10.5 a barrel and $14 a barrel respectively for loadings from Baltic ports to India and China.

That means the Urals price on a free on board (FOB) basis in Baltic ports, allowing about $2 per barrel of additional transport costs, has been slightly above $60 per barrel so far in April, Reuters calculations show.

Shipping costs have come down significantly in recent weeks as Russian port ice conditions eased and more tankers became available.

Freight rates for Urals cargoes loading in Baltic ports for delivery to India have eased to $7.5-$7.6 million from $8-$8.1 million two weeks ago, two traders said.

The cost of tanker shipment from Baltic ports to China was $10 million, down from nearly $11 million a couple of weeks ago, they added.

During winter, freight costs for Urals cargoes jumped above $12 million for both India and China.

Lower freight costs suggest Russian oil suppliers have secured enough vessels even given long distances, the traders said.

Meanwhile, output cuts announced by the OPEC+ group of oil producers at the start of April have also boosted values for various grades around the world, including Urals.

Urals prices in Indian ports had traded at a discount of $14-$17 per barrel to dated Brent on a DES basis in March, while the price at Chinese ports was around $11 per barrel against ICE Brent.

Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Josie Kao

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 023-04-18/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"Oil exports from Russia's western ports hit 4-yr high in April"


Reuters

April 19, 2023

MOSCOW, April 19 (Reuters) - Oil loadings from Russia's western ports in April will rise to the highest since 2019, above 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd), despite Moscow's pledge to cut output, trading and shipping sources said.

Russian crude exports and transit from the ports of Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiisk in April will rise above 10 million tonnes, up from 9.7 million tonnes in March, which is a day longer.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Feb. 10 that Russia would reduce production by 500,000 bpd in March, then in early April promised to extend cuts until the end of the year.

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers early in April announced additional cuts of around 1.16 million bpd, joining Russia's initiative to reduce output.

It was unclear if Russia's high exports mean it has lowered its output cuts.

Seasonal maintenance on Russian refineries in April could explain the high crude exports as the state's domestic market needs less oil, the sources added.

In April, the amount of primary oil refining capacity offline will rise to 3.132 million tonnes from 1.684 million tonnes in March, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations show.

Urals crude exports from Primorsk in April will reach some 4.4 million tonnes, while Ust-Luga will load 3.0 million tonnes of Russia's Urals and Kazakstan's KEBCO crude oil grades, the three sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Urals, KEBCO and Siberian Light loadings from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk will total some 2.7 million tonnes, they added.

Russia's Urals oil keeps flowing to Asia in April, while softer freight rates help the grade's sellers to reach far-away costumers, accoding to Reuters souces.

India and China have snapped up the vast majority of Russian oil so far in April at prices above the Western price cap of $60 per barrel, according to traders and Reuters calculations.

Traders expect the demand for the grade in Asia to remain high next month amid growing competition for the Russian barrels, as China will likely boost Urals seaborne imports in May.

"Urals demand remains solid, the prices for Urals' loadings in May and bound for India are higher compared to April", a source with a trader said.

Reporting by Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 023-04-19/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"G7 nations considering near-total ban on exports to Russia - Kyodo"


Reuters

April 20, 2023

TOKYO, April 21 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven (G7) countries are considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday, citing Japanese government sources.

Bloomberg news on Thursday also reported that the United States and Ukraine's allies were considering "an outright ban on most exports to Russia".

That report said officials from G7 nations were discussing the idea before a summit meeting in Japan next month.

Asked about the Bloomberg report, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government was aware of it but refrained from commenting on exchanges among G7 countries and like-minded nations about possible further sanctions against Russia.

"What is important for ending Russian aggression as soon as possible is that G7 remains united for severe sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine," he told a press briefing.

Reporting by Tokyo Newsroom; Editing by Himani Sarkar

https://www.reuters.com/world/g7-nation ... 023-04-21/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"Vast China-Russia resources trade shifts to yuan from dollars in Ukraine fallout"


By Chen Aizhu

May 10, 2023

Summary

* China's use of yuan to buy Russian commodities surges since Ukraine war

* Speeds China's quest to internationalise yuan, but still long way to go

* Yuan's share in Russia's import settlements in 2022 rises to 23% from 4%

* Imports of Russian oil, piped gas, coal, metals mostly settled in yuan


SINGAPORE, May 11 (Reuters) - China has dramatically increased use of the yuan to buy Russian commodities over the past year, with nearly all of its purchases of oil, coal and some metals from its neighbour now settled in the Chinese currency instead of dollars, multiple trading executives with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The switch to yuan to pay for much of a roughly $88 billion commodities trade in the wake of the Ukraine war accelerates China's efforts to internationalise its currency, at the expense of the dollar, although strict capital controls are expected to limit its global role in the near term.

In March, the yuan - also known as the renminbi - became the most widely-used currency for cross-border transactions in China, overtaking the dollar for the first time, official data showed, although its share as a global payments currency remains small at 2.5%, according to SWIFT, compared with 39.4% for the dollar and 35.8% for the euro.

Chi Lo, senior investment strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management in Hong Kong, predicts a long-term "snowball effect" as more countries join the "RMB bloc" to reduce risks of dollar exposure, "especially after they've seen what the U.S.-led sanctions against Russia have done," he said.

"This is a very long term development stretching into the coming one or two, even three decades," he said.

"For now, and for the foreseeable next few years, I think the trade using RMB will predominantly be used for commodity and energy trade."

Despite Beijing's push beginning over a decade ago to internationalise the yuan, the currency had only been used sporadically in big Chinese commodities purchases given that most global trading of oil, gas, copper and coal is priced off dollar-based benchmarks.

That began changing last year as western buyers shunned purchases of Russian goods in the face of mounting sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese buyers stepped in to snap up discounted crude oil, coal and aluminium, boosting 2022 commodities imports from Moscow by 52% in value terms.

That helped save China billions of dollars as its economy reeled from COVID lockdowns, with purchases poised to grow this year as China's economy recovers.

Total settlements on Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), China's alternative to the SWIFT international payment system, rose 21.5% year-on-year to 96.7 trillion yuan ($14.02 trillion) in 2022, Chinese central bank data showed.

Nearly all of China's oil imports from Russia, mostly crude but also smaller volumes of fuel oil, are now settled in yuan, five trading executives with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

China imported a combined $60.3 billion worth of crude oil and fuel oil from Russia last year, according to Chinese customs.

None of the executives wanted to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.

The People's Bank of China did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Globally, yuan use has been gaining momentum.

Argentina last month said it will start paying for Chinese imports in yuan to ease pressure on its dollar reserves, while in March France's TotalEnergies sold China the first yuan-settled LNG cargo.

The shift began in April 2022, after key Russian banks were removed from SWIFT following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation.

Initially, some of the Chinese buyers struggled to obtain trade financing in dollars as banks banned the business, forcing the use of telegraphic transfer - equivalent to cash pre-payment - which posed a challenge in particular to cash-strapped independent refiners, traders said.

Yuan settlement surged after the U.S.-imposed import ban and as Europe stepped up restrictions on Russian exporters before eventually slapping a trade embargo, with a Western price cap imposed on Dec. 5 on Russian crude exports.

"All seaborne Russian oil sales to China are now settled in renminbi since the price cap, sidelining the last small number of banks that were handling U.S. dollars," said one trading executive.

"It becomes tremendously complicated dealing in USD under the price cap regime."

"It means a lot more compliance work for the banks," the person said.

China opposes unilateral sanctions but is also wary of itself being exposed to so-called secondary sanctions.

The share of yuan in Russia's import settlements in 2022 jumped to 23% from 4%, Russia's central bank said in March.

Last month, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow will continue to accept more payments for energy exports in roubles and yuan as it seeks to move away from the dollar and euro.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that two-thirds of trade between Beijing and Moscow is now settled in roubles or yuan.

Surging commodity imports pushed China's trade deficit with Russia to $38 billion last year, although the gap has narrowed in the first four months of 2023.

HICCUPS

The transition to yuan payments has not always been smooth.

State energy giant CNPC was worried for months last year that its piped gas imports from Russia's Gazprom could be cut as Chinese lenders ICBC and Bank of China, fearful of secondary sanctions, looked to exit the business, said a senior source who closely follows the trade.

ICBC and Bank of China didn't respond to requests for comment.

For nearly half a year CNPC was unable to pay Gazprom in dollars, before Bank of Communications took over and shifted to pay in renminbi, the source said.

Bank of Communications and CNPC declined comment.

Gazprom, which said last September it had agreed with CNPC to settle gas trade in roubles and yuan, did not respond to requests for comment.

Gazprom official Alexei Konivetsky said in September that the company had faced a disruption in payments from China as "numerous Chinese banks are afraid of secondary sanctions while working with us."

Additional reporting by Siyi Liu and Ziyi Tang in Beijing, Muyu Xu in Singapore and Reuters bureaux; Editing and additional reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Shri Navaratnam

https://www.reuters.com/markets/currenc ... 023-05-11/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"From sunglasses to milking machines, US halts more exports to Russia"


By Karen Freifeld

May 19, 2023

WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - The Biden administration halted the export of a wide range of consumer goods to Russia on Friday and added 71 companies to a trade blacklist, as the Group of Seven wealthy nations announced new sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

The new curbs targeted items that can be used to help Russia's military, including items used in daily life like clothes dryers, snow plows and milking machines, which the U.S. thinks could be repurposed to support Moscow's war machine.

"You can't even ship contact lenses or sunglasses now," said Washington lawyer Kevin Wolf, a former U.S. Commerce department official, as he reviewed the new rules.

Wolf said "it would be simpler to describe the items that are not controlled for export to Russia."

The blacklisted companies include 69 Russian entities, one from Armenia and one from Kyrgyzstan.

They were added to the Commerce Department's "Entity List," primarily for supporting Russia's military and defense sectors, making it even harder to ship any goods to them.

The targeted companies include aircraft repair and parts production plants, gunpowder, tractor and automobile factories, shipyards and engineering centers in Russia.

The actions are part of the latest round of unprecedented sanctions and export controls by the United States and a coalition of 37 other countries in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, designed to degrade Moscow's industrial base and its ability to sustain the war.

"We will continue to impose costs on the Kremlin for continuing this war both by further restricting their access to additional items, as well as through aggressive enforcement," Under Secretary of Commerce Alan Estevez said in a statement that summarized the additional sanctions.

The new rules build on controls already in place on Russia's industrial, commercial, chemical and biological sectors, adding a variety of electronics, instruments and carbon fibers, as well as chemicals including fentanyl and its precursors.

They also expand the list of foreign-produced items that require a license for Russia, Belarus and Iran to further limit Tehran's ability to provide Russia with drones.

Doug Jacobson, a Washington trade lawyer, noted that some newly restricted items may be controversial.

"Due to the broad scope of the new controls, licenses are now required to export items such as hearing aids, false teeth, and artificial joints," he said.

The new moves came as the United States and the rest of the "Group of Seven" major economies agreed to stiffen sanctions against Russia as they meet in Japan.

Matthew Axelrod, the Commerce Department's Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, said the U.S. is making it a priority to enforce controls on items that contribute to Russian weapons systems such as missiles and drones.

When a company is found to have engaged in evasion, Axelrod said in the statement, "we will use all of our authorities...to shut it down."

Last week, a Greek man was arrested in Paris and charged by New York prosecutors with smuggling U.S.-origin military technologies to Russia while he was operating as a defense contractor for NATO.

Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-commer ... 023-05-19/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project - Washington Post"


Reuters

June 6, 2023

WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The United States learned of a Ukrainian plan to attack the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines three months before they were damaged last September by underwater explosions, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing leaked information posted online.

The CIA learned last June, through a European spy agency, that a six-person team of Ukrainian special operations forces intended to blow up the Russia-to-Germany project, the newspaper reported.


The intelligence reporting was shared online on Discord, purportedly by Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was arrested in April and charged in relation to the leak of sensitive U.S. documents.

The Washington Post said it obtained a copy from one of Teixeira's online friends.

The intelligence report was based on information provided by a person in Ukraine, the Washington Post said, adding the CIA shared it with Germany and other European countries in June 2022.

The Post said officials in multiple countries had confirmed that the intelligence summary posted on Discord accurately stated what the European service told the CIA.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that investigations into the Nord Stream attack were active.

"The last thing that we're going to want to do from this podium is get ahead of those investigations," Kirby said when asked about The Post's reporting on the matter.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 put Europe's reliance on Russian natural gas in the political spotlight.

The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines hastened the region's switch to other energy suppliers.

Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany.

The Post said it agreed to withhold the name of the European intelligence agency as well as some aspects of the suspected plan at the request of government officials, citing risks to sources and operations.

The CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the intelligence cited by the Washington Post.

Several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea in September 2022.

The blasts occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark.

Both countries said the explosions were deliberate, but have yet to determine who was responsible.

Those countries and Germany are investigating.

Washington and NATO called the incident "an act of sabotage."

Moscow blamed the West, accusing investigators of dragging their feet and trying to conceal who was behind the attack.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Rami Ayyub in Washington; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Jasper Ward; Editing by Jon Boyle, Andrea Ricci and Grant McCool

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-had-in ... 023-06-06/
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"Russian oil supplies to EU via southern Druzhba to rise 16% in June - sources"


Reuters

June 7, 2023

MOSCOW, June 7 (Reuters) - Russia's piped supply of Urals crude to the European Union (EU) via the southern Druzhba pipeline in June is set to increase by 16% compared to May as EU refiners seek to secure more oil amid fears of disruptions in transit via Ukraine, two sources said.

Russian pipeline oil supplies to Europe are excluded from an EU embargo, but the route crosses Ukraine and has been under constant risk of disruptions since Russia sent thousands of troops into Ukraine last year in what Moscow calls a "special military operation".

The southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline supplies Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Hungary's MOL, the main buyer of Urals crude in Hungary and Slovakia, is expected to purchase about 900,000 tonnes of Urals oil via Druzhba in June, up from 750,000 tonnes in May, the sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

"Recent escalation in Ukraine, damages to big infrastructural objects (are a) worry ... it is a good idea to order more now," one of the sources said, referring in particular to this week's destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.

Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the incident.

The Czech Republic's Unipetrol refiner - the country's sole buyer which is owned by Poland's PKN Orlen - will purchase up to 430,000 tonnes of Urals in June, versus 400,000 tonnes purchased in May, the sources said.

"Crude oil continues to arrive uninterruptedly to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline and we do not expect delays during the upcoming months", a MOL media representative said, but declined to comment on monthly purchases.

PKN Orlen also said it never comments on oil purchases and contractual details.

The EU imposed an embargo on Russian oil purchases via maritime routes from December.

Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Repubic were, however, allowed to continue Russian oil imports as critical feedstock.

It would be difficult for them to secure enough oil for their refineries if Druzhba is suspended.

Oil supplies via a section of the southern Druzhba pipeline were temporarily suspended in November following shelling on a power station which provides electricity for a pump station.

Parts of the pipeline have also been attacked by drones inland in Russia, according to Russian reports, but the attacks did not cause significant supply disruptions.

The Druzhba pipeline crosses Belarus and Ukraine and remains an income source for both countries which receive transit fees.

Kiev and Minsk asked for significant hikes in transit tariffs, making the route less convenient for European buyers that pay for transport.

A MOL media representative told Reuters that the company "continues to procure crude oil via both the Druzhba and Adria pipelines despite the transit fees being significantly higher compared to reasonable market prices".

MOL started to make payments to Ukrtransnafta for transit directly amid issues on Russian Transneft payments to Ukrainian pipeline operator.

Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodi ... 023-06-07/
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Re: RUSSIA

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The Telegraph

"Prepare for Ukraine's counter-offensive to falter"


Story by Colonel Richard Kemp

17 JUNE 2023

Nato needs to brace itself for the prospect of Ukraine’s counteroffensive failing to achieve major success.

Indeed, so far, Kyiv has attained only limited gains.

But those who expected a lightning breakthrough were always going to be disappointed.


This is not German panzers against Polish horse cavalry, nor is it American shock and awe against demoralised Iraqi forces in antiquated tanks with no air cover.

Instead, we are seeing something closer to an attritional style of warfare, with attacking forces battering against heavily fortified defences.

Current operations are at the stage of reconnaissance-in-force along four separate axes of advance, with Ukrainian units probing Russian positions to identify weak spots that can then be softened up with artillery and exploited by armoured reserve forces.

Commandos and partisans are said to be working behind enemy lines to create confusion and disrupt command and control centres.

Long range strikes are being used to hit headquarters.

Critical here is deception, attacking in as many areas as possible to keep the Russians guessing where the major thrusts will come.

But in war, operations rarely go to plan and the odds are stacked against Kyiv.

Russia’s General Valery Gerasimov has had a lot of time and resources to prepare effective defences in multiple lines.

The Russians also have numerical superiority in pretty much everything, from men and tanks to, perhaps most critically, artillery.

Then there is air power.

Almost every attacking force from the Second World War onwards has succeeded only with air superiority or supremacy.

This the Ukrainians do not have, and we have already seen the cost of that with battlefield footage apparently showing American-supplied Bradley fighting vehicles and German Leopard 2 tanks picked off by attack helicopters.

So this counter offensive could go either way.

But one thing is certain: a Ukrainian victory is very far from guaranteed.

We can already see this concern reflected in notes of caution from the White House, where President Biden is presumably contemplating the damage to his political programme that might result from anything other than decisive gains on the battlefield.

1 Corinthians tells us: “If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”

At the Vilnius Nato summit next month, if members are peering into the abyss of a failing counteroffensive, there will certainly be many uncertain voices.

Those who were already reluctant to send weapons will have a new excuse: Ukraine doesn’t have the fighting power to achieve victory.

Never mind that, over the last year, we have seen a far less determined response from many countries than this crisis called for.

Kyiv could be fielding far more Leopard tanks now if Berlin had not obstructed their deployment, and it would even be possible to have F-16s in the skies if the decision to supply them – still not yet made – had been taken in Washington a year ago.

The risk is that the likes of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz will renew their lobbying to press Kyiv towards a peace treaty before the year is out.

Wavering of that sort in Europe would undermine Biden’s position with Congress, with every prospect of House Republicans trying to thwart additional funding for Ukraine.

But that would be exactly the wrong response.

If the offensive falters, the West will need to turn in earnest to the question of how to expand Ukraine’s offensive capability.

And that hard support will have to be backed up by announcing a definitive path to Ukraine’s membership of Nato.

The leaders at Vilnius should ask themselves a question: if Ukraine with the might of the Atlantic alliance at its back cannot prevail against Russian aggression, then what is the point of Nato?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pr ... 7960&ei=43
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Re: RUSSIA

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REUTERS

"EU approves 11th sanctions package against Russia over Ukraine"


By Jan Strupczewski

June 21, 2023

BRUSSELS, June 21 (Reuters) - European Union governments agreed on Wednesday to an 11th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at stopping other countries and companies from circumventing existing measures.

The new package, tweeted by Sweden as EU president, forbids transit via Russia of an expanded list of goods and technology which might aid Russia's military or security sector.

The biggest novelty, diplomats said, was enabling restrictions on the sale of sensitive dual-use goods and technology to third countries that might sell it on to Russia.

Names of such countries can be added to an annex of the EU sanctions regulation with unanimous agreement of all 27 members.

EU officials have long been concerned about a surge of demand for EU products from Russia's neighbours like Armenia, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan and from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey or China.

Moscow justifies the war on Ukraine as an existential battle for its own security and says the West is failing in an aggressive attempt to strangle its economy and crush its power.

The EU package extends the suspension of EU broadcasting licences of five Russian state-controlled media.

To curb the practice of ships loading Russian crude oil or petroleum products at sea, the package bans access to EU ports for ships which engage in ship-to-ship transfers if there is cause to suspect the cargo was of Russian origin.

GREECE, HUNGARY DROP OBJECTIONS

The package adds a further 71 persons and 33 entities to those banned from the EU and with EU assets frozen, for involvement in illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The deal, in the making since April, had been held up by objections from Hungary and Greece over the listing by Ukraine of some of their companies as sponsors of war, because they did business with Russia or in other ways contributed to Moscow's war effort.

Overnight, Ukraine removed the five Greek shipping firms from its list, securing the backing of Athens for the package.

Hungary backed the new sanctions even though its OTP bank stayed on the Ukrainian list, but said it would return to the issue when the EU discusses a new tranche of money for Ukraine from the European Peace Facility, diplomats said.

Another controversial issue, which held up Germany's backing, was the inclusion in the draft of the names of eight Chinese companies, which the EU believes were selling Russian goods that could help its war.

The names were leaked in early May and since then, after high-level contacts between the European Commission and China, Beijing made a commitment to put pressure on these companies to stop their activities, diplomats said.

As a result, five were taken off the list.

The three remaining, registered in Hong Kong and little known, were suspected of being Russian-owned, diplomats said.

Reporting by Julia Payne, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, Brenda Goh in Shanghai; editing by Philippa Fletcher

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu ... 023-06-21/
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