‘Gas was like our drug’: defiant Poland vows to wean itself off Russian energy
...
Headteacher Natalia Pałczyńska was in a state of shock after the heating and hot water at her primary school went off without warning on Wednesday. “We were completely taken aback,” she said. Unless the gas starts flowing again soon, she said, “we’ll have no choice but to close our doors until it does”.
The school, in Mieścisko, a village in western Poland, was in one of about 10 administrative districts in which homes, health centres, kindergartens and local businesses – as well as thousands of residents – lost heating after Moscow halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria at 8am on Wednesday. The affected area was relatively small, and unusual in that it was solely dependent on Russia for gas. But it was seen as an indication as to what could happen on a wider scale if Moscow turned off supplies to countries far more dependent than Poland which, while it gets 40% of its gas needs from Russia, only uses gas for 9% of its energy requirements.
Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, complained of a “direct attack”, accusing Russia of “putting a pistol to our heads”, but said Poland would “manage so that the Polish people will not feel any change”, and urging Poles in a televised address: “please don’t be afraid”.
But in Mieścisko at least, the fear was palpable. The phones of the mayor’s office were ringing constantly as residents called in to say they had been, as one local woman told Polish TV, “shut down by Putin”.
The Kremlin said it had halted supplies because of Warsaw and Sofia’s failure to respond to its demand to pay for gas in roubles. The two EU members, which are among the most vocal supporters of a swift withdrawal from Russian gas, said they would not give in to blackmail and that the provocative step was one they could handle.
But it has pushed Europe to the brink of an energy crisis, prompting a 20% increase in the already rising wholesale gas price. There is anxiety that Russia could do the same elsewhere, such as to Gazprom’s most important customer in Europe, Germany – which takes 55% of its gas from Russia and has paid it €5bn for gas and oil since the start of the Ukraine conflict – or to others, such as Italy, Finland, Croatia or Latvia, which are also heavily reliant on Moscow.
Industry in Poland is putting on a brave face. “We are quite well prepared for this,” said Tomasz Zieliński, president of the board of the Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry, which represents about 13,000 businesses and more than 320,000 jobs. In his office in downtown Warsaw, he cited the fact that Poland’s gas storage facilities were 76% full, compared with an EU average of only 30% (33% in Germany). The government had spent years working with businesses to reduce their dependency on Russia, he said.
In 2015 a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal was opened in the north-west port city of Świnoujście, close to the German border, capable of covering a quarter of Poland’s gas needs. It is being extended to increase intake by about 10%. Shots of its yellow, snaking pipes have frequently provided the backdrop for recent TV reports and government interviews in which attempts are made to reassure Poles. It has become something of a symbol of the nation’s hope in bezpieczeństwo energetyczne (energy security), the new buzz phrase.
This autumn, the much-hailed Baltic pipeline, viewed as a response to the German-Russian Nord Steam 2 project, is scheduled to go into operation. Running from Norway through Denmark to Poland, it will be able to carry about 10 billion cubic metres of gas every year, about half of the national requirements. Another pipeline nearing completion will connect Poland to the LNG terminal in the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda, and existing pipelines connect Poland with Germany and the Czech Republic.
“Poland was not surprised by what’s happened, it was something that was always expected,” said Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera, head of Forum Energii, an NGO spanning business, administration and science, which focuses on energy transition. She hoped it might speed up Poland’s slow decarbonisation efforts not least, she said, because “it’s now clear to most people that sales of fossil fuels have literally fuelled Russian aggression”.
The image being projected by business and politics may be one of stoicism, and it has helped to unify a polarised country, but “the atmosphere is extremely nervous”, she said.
Interview requests to 12 manufacturers highly reliant on gas, from glass to cardboard producers, were rejected, with one admitting the “issue is right now too delicate” to talk about.
The government has downplayed Poland’s dependence on Russian coal, said Maćkowiak-Pandera, which supplements inadequate domestic supplies and is used to heat a large percentage of Polish homes. “Only recently have people become aware that it’s Russian coal that gives us our dirty air and there is a lot of pressure to stop this,” she said. “In a way, this is more significant for us than the gas issue.”
She asked whether the national drive for derusyfikacja (de-Russification) would push the issue of dekarbonizacja (decarbonisation) down the agenda, further increasing the demand for coal, or – as she hoped – help to wean Poland off it. Support for phasing out Russian coal is high – 94% of citizens in a recent poll said they were ready to pay more in order to switch from Russian supplies. “But no one says how much they would be prepared to pay,” she said. Household coal prices have already risen by 300% in the past year. “So, as a consequence, we expect to see a lot of energy poverty this coming winter.”
There is speculation that the frenzied effort to meet the rising demand for coal may have caused two deadly explosions last week at mines in Silesia, southern Poland, killing 18 miners, while seven others are still missing.
Bernard Swoczyna, a power engineer with the progressive thinktank Instrat, said that while he could not but be shocked by the events that have driven it, “a dramatic shifting of the window of discourse is taking place in Poland right now”. The idea of “diverting from fossil fuels from Russia was until recently a fringe idea, and now it’s viewed as a baseline scenario”, he said.
Poland has spent years telling its neighbours Europe must move away from Russian supplies. The word niepodległość (independence) has a deeply emotional meaning linked to Poland’s past under the yoke of foreign powers, most recently the Soviet Union. Nowadays it is often used in relation to the energy debate.
History means that trust towards Russia was low from the outset, but everyday experience did not help. Over the past 18 years, Russian gas stopped flowing at least seven times, sometimes for a few days, once for half a year. “We were keen to be independent, for which we were sometimes accused of being Russophobe, particularly by German politicians. But this idea never flew in the financial markets, because the low price was the driving force,” Maćkowiak-Pandera said.
Pawel Różyński, an economic commentator in the conservative daily, Rzeczpospolita, said Russia was “like Pablo Escoabar”. “Gas was like our drug and turned out to be very addictive because it was cheap, efficient and more ecological than other sources of energy. Poland has been forced to get sober very fast … but we have lost a lot of time defending coal because we thought it protected our sovereignty … and one of the side-effects will be much higher energy costs.”
For Wojciech Mróz, the cut is most important from a moral and ethical point of view. The 24-year-old student of spatial economics, who runs his own payment start-up, Pagaspot, has been at the forefront of efforts through a Catholic youth organisation to help some of the three million Ukrainian refugees who, border police report, have arrived in Poland since the start of the war. About 20,000-25,000 people still arrive each day, and the numbers are not expected to stop any time soon.
“It’s a good thing this has happened now as it saves our government from having to take this step themselves. And even if it won’t end the war, if we had kept taking the gas, it would not have stood well next to Poland’s huge national effort to help Ukrainian refugees and to save lives,” he said.
Maks De Doliwa Zieliński, 23, an economics student from Kraków, whose recent plans to take up a job with a German chemicals company in eastern Ukraine were scuppered by the war, said the situation was causing friction at home. “My father, a businessman, said we and Europe made a mistake by trusting Russia at all. We never should have.” His German mother, he said, thinks otherwise, arguing that Germany had nursed the naive hope of helping Russia move to a democracy through its close trade ties, (the Wandel durch Handel – or “change through trade” policy).
“Poland was screaming at the Germans for a long time about the need to diversify, saying Russia was too unpredictable. But as we can see now, business has driven politics into a dark corner.”
Окончание поста от 30.04.2022 г. следует…
Последний раз редактировалось: Dimitriy (01.05.2022 0:29), всего редактировалось 1 раз
Oświadczenie spółki Novatek Green Energy
...
Informujemy, że spółka Novatek Green Energy, mając na uwadze dobro i bezpieczeństwo swoich Klientów, podjęła wszelkie niezbędne działania, aby umożliwić państwowym spółkom PGNIG oraz PSG szybkie i sprawne przywrócenie dostaw gazu do mieszkańców 10 gmin. Pragniemy podkreślić, że decyzja o wstrzymaniu dostaw gazu do tych gmin wynikała tylko i wyłącznie z wykonania decyzji Ministra MSWiA z dnia 25 kwietnia 2022 roku, w sprawie wpisania Novatek na polską listę sankcyjną. W przeciwnym wypadku zarówno spółka, jak i jej klienci narażeni byliby na ogromne konsekwencje finansowe (kara do 20 mln złotych) oraz odpowiedzialność karną do 3 lat więzienia.
Pragniemy zwrócić uwagę na kwestię innych zagrożeń, jakie wiążą sią z nałożonymi sankcjami. Istotne i bardzo realne niebezpieczeństwo związane jest z pozbawieniem spółki kontroli i uniemożliwienie dalszego transportu i rozładunku ok. 500 wagonów kolejowych napełnionych gazem płynnym LPG, które legalnie wjechały na teren Polski. Z powodu właściwości fizykochemicznych gazu LPG, w przypadku dłuższego postoju tych wagonów na torach, wzrostu temperatury zewnętrznej, a poprzez to wzrostu ciśnienia gazu w wagonach, może dojść do samoistnego upuszczania gazu do atmosfery, a także jego zapłonu, co skutkowałoby potężnym i trudnym do opanowania pożarem. W związku z powyższym zagrożeniem uważamy, że należy podjąć niezwłocznie działania, aby zgromadzony w cysternach kolejowych gaz propan-butan w ilości ok. 40 milionów litrów dotarł bezzwłocznie i bezpiecznie do terminali przeładunkowych. Oczywiście z uwagi na nałożone sankcje spółka Novatek Green Energy nie może podjąć żadnych działań w tym zakresie.
Gaz znajdujący się ww. cysternach kolejowych pośrednio miał trafić na stacje paliw w całej Polsce oraz do butli gazowych, które są wykorzystywane w wielu polskich gospodarstwach domowych, bowiem spółka Novatek Green Energy jest jednym z kluczowych dostawców autogazu w Polsce i dysponuje jedną z największych i najnowocześniejszych rozlewni gazu w butlach o przepustowości 300 tysięcy butli miesięcznie.
Z uwagi na charakter działalności, bezpieczeństwo zawsze było traktowane priorytetowo i z najwyższą powagą przez Novatek Green Energy. W tym celu spółka stworzyła i wdrożyła szereg procedur, których przestrzeganie w obecnym stanie prawnym, po nałożeniu sankcji i szeregu wynikających z nich ograniczeń nie jest w stanie realizować. Dotyczy to między innymi zapewnienia bezpieczeństwa na terenie dwóch terminali przeładunkowych gazu płynnego należących do spółki. Są one zakładami wysokiego ryzyka z uwagi na magazynowany gaz, a powstałe zagrożenia wynikają między innymi z pozbawienia ich dostępu do energii elektrycznej.
Pomimo utrudnień wynikających z braku dostępu do podstawowych środków komunikacji, tj. Internetu i telefonów, spółka Novatek Green Energy stara się informować na bieżąco odpowiednie sztaby kryzysowe o pojawiających się zagrożeniach.
Цитата:
Suomi varautuu Venäjän kaasu-toimitusten katkeamiseen toukokuussa
...
SUOMEN
valtionhallinto ja yritykset varautuvat tilanteeseen, jossa maakaasun virta Venäjältä Suomeen katkeaa toukokuussa. Toimitusten katkeamisen riskiä pidetään todellisena. Syynä ovat Venäjän esittämät kaasukaupan maksujärjestelyitä koskevat vaatimukset, joihin sekä EU-komissio että Suomen hallitus ovat ottaneet kielteisen kannan.
Venäjän valtion kaasuyhtiö Gazprom on ilmoittanut, että uusiin maksuehtoihin suostuminen on ehto sille, että toimitukset jatkuvat häiriöttä. Aiemmin tällä viikolla toimitukset Puolaan ja Bulgariaan katkesivat maiden kieltäydyttyä uusista ehdoista.
HS:n tietojen mukaan Gazprom on pyytänyt Suomen valtion kaasuyhtiön Gasumin vastausta vaatimuksiin toukokuun 20. päivään mennessä. EU-lähteiden mukaan takaraja on sama monille muillekin EU-maille.
On mahdollista, että venäläisen putkikaasun virta Suomeen ja isoon osaan Eurooppaa katkeaa 21. toukokuuta. Virkamiesarvioiden mukaan Suomen nykyinen kaasuinfrastruktuuri eli Viron-kaasuputki ja lng-terminaalit eivät riitä korvaamaan venäläistä maakaasua, jos sen virta Imatralla katkeaa.
MAAKAASULLA
on Suomen energiapaletissa huomattavasti vähäisempi rooli kuin Keski- ja Etelä-Euroopan maissa. Kaasun osuus energian kokonaiskulutuksesta oli viime vuonna vain noin viisi prosenttia. Energiantuotannossa kaasu on pääosin melko helposti korvattavissa muilla polttoaineilla. Kaasulämmitteiset kotitaloudet ovat suojatussa asemassa, ja niiden kaasun saanti turvataan tarvittaessa poikkeustoimin.
Ongelmia ennakoidaan sen sijaan teollisuuteen, missä kaasua ei käytetä energian lähteenä vaan prosessien raaka-aineena. Kaksi kolmasosaa kaasusta Suomessa käyttää teollisuus. Suurimpia käyttäjiä ovat kemian- ja metsäteollisuuden yhtiöt.
Virkamiesarvioiden mukaan teollisuuden kaasun saantia ei välttämättä voida kaikissa tilanteissa turvata, jos Venäjän kaasuputki sulkeutuu. Teollisuuden täytyy joko löytää korvaaja maakaasulle tai supistaa tuotantoa.
…
MYÖS
Suomen hallitus on ottanut asiaan kielteisen kannan. Omistajaohjausministeri Tytti Tuppurainen (sd) sanoi tällä viikolla, että valtio-omisteinen Gasum ei saa suostua maksuvaatimuksiin.
HS:n tietojen mukaan ongelmaksi Suomessa muodostui myös se, että Gazpromin vaatimassa järjestelyssä valuutanvaihto ja maksu ruplatilille eivät olisi tapahtuneet automaattisesti Gazprombankin toimesta vaan maksajan eli Gasumin toimeksiannosta. Tämä tulkittiin siten, että yhtiö olisi joutunut maksamaan ruplissa. Tästä länsimaat kieltäytyivät jo etukäteen.
VENÄJÄ
on väittänyt saaneensa jo ruplamääräisiä maksuja, mutta komission tietojen mukaan yksikään eurooppalainen yhtiö ei ole vielä tehnyt uusien vaatimusten mukaisia maksuja.
Fortumin omistama Uniper on yksi Euroopan suurimpia venäläisen putkikaasun ostajia, ja sen toimia seurataan nyt tarkkaan. Tuppuraisen mukaan Suomen hallitus ei puutu Uniperin päätöksiin, vaikka se onkin Fortumin tytäryhtiö, vaan ne ovat Saksan asia, sillä kyse on Saksan energiaturvallisuudesta.
Uniperin viestinnästä kerrotaan HS:lle, että yhtiö käy yhä Gazpromin kanssa neuvotteluja maksujärjestelystä. Yhtiö kertoo yhä uskovansa, että sen on mahdollista löytää järjestely, joka ei riko pakotteita ja täyttää Venäjän vaatimukset. Kuinka tämä käytännössä voisi tapahtua, Uniper ei kerro.
Цитата:
Europe has to use clean energy to fight back against the Kremlin’s hydrocarbon ‘blackmail’
...
Every day, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is magnifying the insanity of maintaining dependence on fossil fuels and the unpredictable markets on which they are bought and sold.
Russiahas halted supplies of gas to Poland and Bulgaria after they declined to use a loophole that allows "unfriendly" countries to pay for gas in euros, but is then converted to roubles for Russian collection.
The EU has said Russia is "blackmailing Europe" with threats to cut off supplies, while the White House has said Russia is "almost weaponising energy supplies".
But whose fault is it for allowing this huge addiction to grow unchecked, in the first place? Governments have had decades of warnings about the harm emissions from fossil fuels are causing, yet, this inveterate addiction to oil and gas is seriously undermining Europe’s ability to tackle the Kremlin’s belligerence.
The thirst for fossil fuels means a number of Europe’s largest energy companies are now lining up to open rouble accounts at Russia’s Gazprombank in Switzerland, allowing them to keep buying gas according to Russia’s demand.
This will ultimately torpedo the effectiveness of European sanctions, and deliver billions in cash to Russia’s economy.
The loophole could easily be closed – Gazprombank, founded by Gazprom, is not currently sanctioned. However, subjecting Gazprombank to sanctions would immediately see an end to Russian gas imports to Europe. In the short term this could be disastrous for people in Europe, with the resultant gas shortages forecast to bring industries to a halt, spark fierce battles over which countries and businesses need the energy most, and would rapidly drive up prices of gas in Europe to record highs.
...
21:28 01.05.2022
За воскресенье украинские военные отбили 5 атак, уничтожили 57 оккупантов и 26 единиц вражеской техники – ОТГ "Восток"
...
Цитата:
22:20 01.05.2022
За воскресенье украинские военные отбили 10 атак, уничтожили 67 единиц сухопутной техники, сбили 7 воздушных целей врага – штаб ООС
...
1. ВС РФ вышли на окраины Красного Лимана, сам город в полуокружении.
2. В районе Оскола продолжают обжимать сводную группировку ВСУ, прижатую к реке. Противник имеет проблемы со снабжением.
3. В Попасной небольшое продвижение. Темпы по-прежнему невысокие. Противник удерживает западную и северо-западную части города.
4. В районе Казачей Лопани ВС РФ взяли 2 поселка. Продолжаются бои в районе Русской Лозовой. ВСУ контратаковали в направлении Старого Салтова у Северского Донца.
5. Мариуполь. На «Азовстали» без больших изменений. Постепенно идет освобождение заложников.
6. На Николаевском направлении продолжаются позиционные бои. Генштаб ВСУ заявляет о подготовке наступления ВС РФ на Криворожском направлении.
7. На Запорожском направлении продолжаются бои на подступах к Гуляйполю и к востоку от него. Противник ожидает дальнейшего продвижения в Днепропетровскую область.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Цитата:
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Губернатор Курской области назвал диверсией обрушение железнодорожного моста в регионе. Видео
…
Pelosi makes unannounced trip to Kyiv, becoming highest-ranking US official to meet with Zelensky since the war began
...
The trip to Kyiv by Pelosi, who is second in line to succeed the president as speaker of the US House, marks a significant measure of commitment to supporting Ukraine from the most senior level of US leadership.
"Our Congressional Delegation had the solemn opportunity and extraordinary honor of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials in Kyiv," read a news release from Pelosi's office. "Our delegation conveyed our respect and gratitude to President Zelenskyy for his leadership and our admiration of the Ukrainian people for their courage in the fight against Russia's oppression."
Zelensky awarded Pelosi with the Order of Princess Olga for her "significant personal contribution" to strengthening Ukrainian and American ties. Olga was the first woman to rule Kievan Rus, a medieval East Slavic state. The order bearing her name is awarded to women who have achieved significant success in politics and society -- the personification in Ukraine of female strength.
Zelensky also gave Pelosi a Ukrainian flag signed by him and female members of the Ukrainian Parliament, including those she had met with at the US Capitol recently, according to Hammill, Pelosi's spokesman.
Минобороны России: Высокоточными ракетами «Оникс» в районе Одессы на военном аэродроме уничтожен ангар с поступившим из США и европейских стран вооружением и боеприпасами.
Также разрушена взлетно-посадочная полоса.
Цитата:
Ukraine cracks down on 'traitors' helping Russian troops
...
Allegations of collaborating with the enemy carry strong historic resonance in Ukraine. During World War II, some in the region welcomed and even cooperated with invading forces from Nazi Germany after years of Stalinist repression that included the “Holodomor” – a man-made famine believed to have killed more than 3 million Ukrainians. For years afterward, Soviet authorities cited the cooperation of some Ukrainian nationalists with the Nazis as a reason to demonize today’s democratically elected leaders of Ukraine.
...
Цитата:
Польша отправила в Украину крупную партию вооружения и стала второй после США по военным поставкам Киеву
Mayorkas cites misinformation about Homeland Security's disinformation board
...
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday defended the department’s new disinformation board amid pushback from conservatives who say the effort is Orwellian.
“It works to ensure that the way in which we address threats, the connectivity between threats and acts of violence are addressed without infringing on free speech — protecting civil rights and civil liberties, the right of privacy,” Mayorkas told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
Mayorkas in another interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” reiterated that the board will work on ways to address disinformation “in a way that does not infringe on free speech, does not infringe on civil liberties.”
DHS announced the creation of its Disinformation Governance Board on Wednesday with the goal of countering disinformation coming from Russia and rebutting misleading information aimed at migrants hoping to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border. He cited, as an example, phony information that is reaching Haitian communities that tells them the border is open.
Republicans have since launched criticisms of the new board, citing concerns that it will target conservatives and police free speech.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) compared the board to the “Ministry of Truth” from George Orwell’s novel “1984.” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) echoed Gabbard’s comments on Twitter, calling the board an “Orwellian scheme.”
But Mayorkas said on CNN on Sunday that while “we probably could have done a better job of communicating what it does and does not do,” the criticisms of the board “are precisely the opposite of what this small working group within the Department of Homeland Security will do.”
He clarified that the board is an internal working group that will gather best practices to address the disinformation threat from foreign state adversaries and cartels and “communicate those best practices to the operators.” He added that the board does not have operational authority and it will not monitor American citizens.
“The fact is that disinformation that creates a threat to the security of the homeland is our responsibility to address. And this department has been addressing it for years, throughout the years of the prior administration in an ongoing basis,” he said.
Цитата:
Russia’s trolling on Ukraine gets ‘incredible traction’ on TikTok
...
Russia’s online trolling operation is becoming increasingly decentralised and is gaining “incredible traction” on TikTok with misinformation aimed at sowing doubt over events in Ukraine, a US social media researcher has warned.
Darren Linvill, professor at Clemson University, South Carolina, who has been studying the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA) troll farm operation since 2017, said it was succeeding in creating more authentic-seeming posts.
He has identified the sharing of faked factchecking posts and accounts which amplify disinformation by linking between platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Telegram as current tactics by the IRA, which is now believed to be operating across different locations.
On Sunday, the UK government claimed it has identified a former factory in St Petersburg as a new base for trolling operations where “cyber soldiers are ruthlessly targeting politicians and audiences across a number of countries including the UK, South Africa and India”.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cited government-funded research, which it has not published, that reportedly shows paid staff in Russia are “using Telegram to actively recruit and coordinate new supporters who then target the social media profiles of Kremlin critics – spamming them with pro-Putin and pro-war comments”.
Linvill said this was “highly consistent with what we have seen the IRA previously do, given how it understands the power of authenticity”.
It was reported that targets have included Boris Johnson’s social media accounts as well as accounts of bands and musicians including Daft Punk, David Guetta and Tiësto. The government said it had shared the research with the social media platforms.
It said the Russian operation was searching for “organic content” posted by genuine users consistent with its messaging, and then working to amplify these messages.
“This means that, provided the content they post is not too offensive, they are unlikely to be subject to de-platforming interventions,” an official said.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said: “We cannot allow the Kremlin and its shady troll farms to invade our online spaces with their lies about Putin’s illegal war. The UK government has alerted international partners and will continue to work closely with allies and media platforms to undermine Russian information operations.”
Linvill said trolls using comments under legitimate accounts was a common disinformation tactic and was not new, adding: “The IRA has a long history of taking advantage of legitimate voices.”
One benefit of a troll posting comments under an account with large numbers of followers is that they do not need many followers themselves to be seen.
He said the IRA almost always posted in Russian and the main goal appeared to be influencing Russian public opinion, but the UK government said its latest research suggested Moscow’s operation was “designed to manipulate international public opinion” in favour of its military campaign in Ukraine.
TikTok and Twitter have closed scores of accounts in recent months which Linvill believes may be linked to the IRA. He said the impact of TikTok was particularly startling, with some accounts having hundreds of thousands of followers. “They were very, very effective,” he said. “They got an incredible amount of traction in the nationalist Russian space.”
Twitter said it proactively assesses for inauthentic behaviour and since the start of the war in Ukraine it has removed over 100,000 accounts for violations of its platform manipulation and spam policy. It has labelled or removed 50,000 pieces of content.
TikTok and Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, have also been approached for comment.
Linvill said the IRA’s strategy was not to cause people to believe something new, but rather to sow doubt and cause distrust in information sources that are usually seen as legitimate, in particular to deter domestic opposition to the Russian president. “If you don’t believe in anything, you’re not going to fight for anything and you are more likely to go along with Putin,” he said.
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Combat death puts spotlight on Americans fighting in Ukraine
...
Harrison Jozefowicz quit his job as a Chicago police officer and headed overseas soon after Russia invaded Ukraine. An Army veteran, he said he couldn’t help but join American volunteers seeking to help Ukrainians in their fight.
Jozefowicz now heads a group called Task Force Yankee, which he said has placed more than 190 volunteers in combat slots and other roles while delivering nearly 15,000 first aid kits, helping relocate more than 80 families and helping deliver dozens of pallets of food and medical supplies to the southern and eastern fronts of the war.
It’s difficult, dangerous work. But Jozefowicz said he felt helpless watching from the United States last year during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, particularly after a close friend, Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, died in a suicide bombing at Kabul.
“So, I’m just trying to do everything I can to make sure I can help others not go through what I went through,” he said Saturday during an interview conducted through a messaging platform.
A former U.S. Marine who died last week was believed to be the first American citizen killed while fighting in Ukraine. Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, died Monday while working for a military contracting company that sent him to Ukraine, his mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN.
An undetermined number of other Americans — many with military backgrounds — are thought to be in the country battling Russian forces beside both Ukrainians and volunteers from other countries even though U.S. forces aren’t directly involved in fighting aside from sending military materiel, humanitarian aid and money.
Russia’s invasion has given Ukraine’s embassy in Washington the task of fielding inquiries from thousands of Americans who want to help in the fight, and Ukraine is using the internet to recruit volunteers for a foreign force, the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine.
“Anyone who wants to join the defense of security in Europe and the world can come and stand side by side with the Ukrainians against the invaders of the 21st century,” President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a recruitment pitch.
Texan Anja Osmon, who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Army from 2009 through 2015, said she went to Ukraine on her own. A medic, she said she arrived in Ukraine on March 20 and lived in the woods with other members of the International Legion before a new commander sent her away because he didn’t want female fighters.
Osmon, 30, said her mother wants her home before September. But for now she’s anxious to get out of the hotel where she is staying in Lviv and catch on with another fighting force nearer the action.
“I can’t turn away from injustice,” she said. “No one should be scared.”
U.S. Marine veteran Eddy Etue said he quit his job in the gig economy, found a friend in Colorado to watch his cat and gave up his home four blocks from the beach in San Diego, California, to help out in Ukraine, where he’s been about two weeks. He first worked with an aid organization but now is training with the International Legion.
Etue, 36, said he simply couldn’t stay home. “It’s just the right thing to do,” said Etue, who financed the journey through an online fundraising campaign.
Etue’s family history pulled him toward Ukraine. He said his grandparents left Hungary with nothing but their four children and clothes after the 1956 revolution, which was put down by Soviet forces that killed or wounded thousands.
“What’s happening here will affect not only the people who are experiencing it but their children and grandchildren as well,” he said. “I know that from personal experience.”
Jozefowicz, the former Chicago cop, says there are thousands of American and other volunteers in Ukraine. Multiple organizations are operating in the country, and Jozefowicz said his group alone has placed scores of volunteers in positions all over the country, with about 40 of those being combat jobs.
“We do not facilitate a civilian going into any direct-action role. We only guide and connect prior military volunteers,” he said.
But there’s plenty of other work to do. Groups of volunteers are getting medical and food supplies to people in the nation of 44 million people, he said, and others are working with refugees and others who’ve had to flee their homes.
“The closer I got into Ukraine and the more time I spent in Ukraine, the more voids I found that needed to be filled to maximize my groups volunteer efforts,” he said.
Osmon, who said she’s been in contact with Jozefowicz’s group, said she supplied troops with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications after days in the woods.
“Most everyone had air raid fever from hiding in the trenches in the snow and cold air,” she said. “Bronchitis was ravaging us.”
Etue said he got a feel for the country after making a 24-hour round trip with another volunteer to pick up a vehicle in Odessa. He said he’s been impressed with the quality of people serving in the International Legion since Ukrainians have done a good job of weeding out the inexperienced and “war tourists” who don’t have much to offer a military unit.
“I think they’re doing amazingly well given that they’re at war with one of the largest standing armies in the world,” he said.
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Taiwan learning lessons from Ukraine's stout resistance, foreign minister says
...
Taiwan’s foreign minister said Sunday that his island nation is studying carefully Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine for lessons applicable to its situation with China.
“We try to see what we can learn from Ukraine in defending ourselves,” Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told host Fareed Zakaria in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” noting how the Russian invasion has unexpectedly bogged down.
“There are two things, of course,” Wu said. “The first is asymmetric capability. Look at the Ukrainians, they use small personal weapons to go against a large enemy. And I think that is something we can learn from. In fact, we have been preparing for that, but we need to make more investment in this regard.”
He added: “The second area we can learn from Ukraine is civil defense. Look at the Ukrainian people. All of the males are having the determination to defend the country. They want to serve in the military. They want to go to the war zones to fight against Russia. That kind of spirit is enviable for the Taiwanese people.”
China has cast a hungry eye toward Taiwan since 1949 when nationalist leaders fled the mainland at the end of Mao Zedong’s successful communist revolution and established a home there. Tensions have waxed and waned through the years, but China’s leadership has never stopped claiming that Taiwan is part of China.
“When there’s a war, we need friends and allies to support Taiwan, as in the case of Ukraine,” Wu said.
Zakaria asked Wu if Taiwan feared that China might take Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “a green light” to launch its own invasion of Taiwan.
Saying it was “a very difficult issue for Taiwan to answer,” Wu said he thought that China was watching how the rest of the world was responding to Russia’s aggression.
“I think the Chinese government must be thinking or calculating how the United States or other major countries are going to come to Taiwan’s help or whether they’re going to come to Taiwan’s help. If Taiwan does not have any support, I think that’s going to be a green light to aggression,” said Wu, who is serving in the government of President Tsai Ing-wen.
Wu added: “The second thing, if they think Taiwan is weak and easy to take over, I think it’s an open invitation for Beijing’s aggression. But I think we have seen from Ukraine, the case of Ukraine, is even though they seem to be weaker than Russia ... that they are able to defend themselves and, therefore, Beijing must think twice whether they are able to take Taiwan over.”
The United States has had complicated relations with Taiwan since the 1970s, when President Richard Nixon established relations with Mao and China, and President Jimmy Carter let a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan lapse.
Reports surfaced Saturday that the United States and Britain have held talks recently about contingencies for a possible China-Taiwan war. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said last week that NATO should look to protect Taiwan as part of its efforts “to tackle global threats.”
Wu said that even though Taiwan’s status as a sovereign nation is far from universally recognized, other leaders throughout the world have been expressing support.
“They know that if there’s going to be a war over Taiwan, it’s going to be a disaster for the rest of the world,” he said.
Russians plunder $5M farm vehicles from Ukraine -- to find they've been remotely disabled
...
Russian troops in the occupied city of Melitopol have stolen all the equipment from a farm equipment dealership -- and shipped it to Chechnya, according to a Ukrainian businessman in the area.
But after a journey of more than 700 miles, the thieves were unable to use any of the equipment -- because it had been locked remotely.
Over the past few weeks there's been a growing number of reports of Russian troops stealing farm equipment, grain and even building materials - beyond widespread looting of residences. But the removal of valuable agricultural equipment from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even uses Russian military transport as part of the heist.
CNN has learned that the equipment was removed from an Agrotek dealership in Melitopol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. Altogether it's valued at nearly $5 million. The combine harvesters alone are worth $300,000 each.
CNN is not naming a contact in Melitopol familiar with the details of the case for their own safety.
The contact said the process began with the seizure of two combine harvesters, a tractor and a seeder. Over the next few weeks, everything else was removed: in all 27 pieces of farm machinery. One of the flat-bed trucks used, and caught on camera, had a white "Z" painted on it and appeared to be a military truck.
The contact said there were rival groups of Russian troops: some would come in the morning and some in the evening.
Some of the machinery was taken to a nearby village, but some of it embarked on a long overland journey to Chechnya more than 700 miles away. The sophistication of the machinery, which are equipped with GPS, meant that its travel could be tracked. It was last tracked to the village of Zakhan Yurt in Chechnya.
The equipment ferried to Chechnya, which included combine harvesters -- can also be controlled remotely. "When the invaders drove the stolen harvesters to Chechnya, they realized that they could not even turn them on, because the harvesters were locked remotely," the contact said.
The equipment now appears to be languishing at a farm near Grozny. But the contact said that "it seems that the hijackers have found consultants in Russia who are trying to bypass the protection."
"Even if they sell harvesters for spare parts, they will earn some money," the contact said.
Other sources in the Melitopol region say theft by Russian military units has extended to grain held in silos, in a region that produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of crops a year.
One source told CNN that "the occupiers are offering local farmers to share their profits 50% to 50%." But the farmers trying to work in areas occupied by Russian troops are unable to move their produce.
"Not a single elevator works. None of the ports are working. You will not take this grain from the occupied territory anywhere. "
So Russian forces are simply taking the grain, the source said. "They steal it, take it to Crimea and that's it."
Last week the mayor of Melitopol posted a video showing a convoy of trucks leaving Melitopol allegedly loaded with grain.
"We have clear evidence that they unloaded grain from the Melitopol city elevator. They robbed the elevator along with private farms," the mayor told CNN.
Привожу полностью и ставлю в «юмор».
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Цитата:
28 апр. 2022 г.
Цитата:
28 апр. 2022 г.
Реклама Агрессии.
_________________
С сожалением и понятными пожеланиями, Dimitriy.
В МИД России вызван посол Польши в Москве
...
Польский посол повторил официальное заявление польского МИДа по этому поводу – заявил пресс-секретарь внешнеполитического ведомства Польши.
Министр иностранных дел Польши Збигнев Рау отметил, что польская сторона пыталась «убедить российскую сторону в необоснованности манифестации, которую посольство хотело провести» в Варшаве 9 мая. «Однако произошедшее никоим образом не меняет нашей позиции, согласно которой дипломатическим представителям других государств должна быть обеспечена безопасность, независимо т того в какой степени мы чувствуем необходимость не соглашаться с политикой правительства, которое представляет дипломат», - добавил глава МИД Польши.
По сообщениям СМИ, российская сторона потребовала от Польши офицальных извинений в связи с инцидентов в Варшаве, а также потребовала обеспечить безопасность российского посла и всех сотрудников российских загранучреждений в Польше в соответствии с Венской конвенцией.
Boris Johnson signs security deals with Sweden and Finland
...
Boris Johnson has signed security pacts with Sweden and Finland that could see British troops sent to the Nordic nations in the event of a Russian invasion from “21st century tyrant” Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister said the parallel agreements would help defend each country should it come under threat as he met with leaders in both nations over a whirlwind 24 hours on Wednesday.
Mr Johnson said the UK would come to Finland’s assistance, including with military support, in the event of an attack on the country.
Asked during a press conference in Helsinki alongside Finnish president Sauli Niinisto if there would be “British boots on the ground” on Finnish territory during a “possible conflict with Russia”, he said: “I think the solemn declaration is itself clear.
“And what it says is that in the event of a disaster, or in the event of an attack on either of us, then yes, we will come to each other’s assistance, including with military assistance.
“But the nature of that assistance will of course depend upon the request of the other party.
“But it’s also intended to be the foundation of an intensification of our security and our defence relationship in other ways as well.”
Meeting with Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson earlier in the day, Mr Johnson said the UK “will not hesitate” to act in the event of an attack on the country.
The British Prime Minister said it was “a sad irony” that the security assurance declaration was signed days after marking VE Day, but was more important than ever under the “grim circumstances” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Speaking alongside his Swedish counterpart at her Harpsund country retreat on Wednesday, he added: “The many carcasses of Russian tanks that now litter the fields and streets of Ukraine, thanks to Swedish-developed and British-built NLaws (anti-tank weapons), certainly speak to how effective that co-operation can be.”
“Most importantly, this is an agreement that enshrines the values that both Sweden and the UK hold dear, and which we will not hesitate to defend.”
Mr Johnson, deploying some of his strongest language yet to condemn the Russian president, told a press conference: “This week, many of us have been paying tribute to the brave men and women who secured victory and peace in Europe 77 years ago.
“So it’s a sad irony that we’ve been forced to discuss how best to fortify our shared defences against the empty conceit of a 21st century tyrant.”
Ms Andersson said she was “very happy” to sign the bilateral agreement while Mr Niinisto said the declaration would “deepen the cooperation we already have”.
It comes as both European countries consider the prospect of Nato membership in the face of Mr Putin’s ongoing military aggression.
Speaking after signing the pact, Mr Niinisto said he did not view joining the military alliance as a “zero sum game”.
“Joining Nato would not be against anybody,” the Finnish president said.
Describing the declaration as a “pivotal moment in our shared history”, Mr Johnson added: “It’s pivotal because… the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the equation of European security and it has rewritten our reality and reshaped our future.
“We’ve seen the end of the post-Cold War period and the invasion of Ukraine sadly has opened a new chapter”.
The declarations build on claims made earlier in the month that the UK would always aid Finland if it were attacked by Russia, regardless of whether the country was a member of Nato.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said it was “inconceivable” that Britain would not help either Finland or Sweden if it were in crisis, even “without any big formal agreement”.
Mr Johnson held talks with Ms Andersson and Mr Niinisto in March as part of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force nations, which includes Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.
After the meeting, Downing Street said the two leaders agreed that “Putin’s invasion had dramatically changed the landscape of European security”.
Finland shares a lengthy land border with Russia and is only about 250 miles from St Petersburg.
Following the signings, the Prime Minister spoke with the chief of the western defence bloc in a phone call from Helsinki.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister praised the secretary general (Jens Stoltenberg) for his leadership in such challenging times and the secretary general thanked the Prime Minister for his decisive support for Ukraine.
“Foreign and defence ministers would be meeting in the coming weeks to work through how Nato should evolve and accelerate its work across the Euro-Atlantic area, and the Prime Minister said he looked forward to discussing those proposals in Madrid next month.”
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Президент РП о смерти Леонида Кравчука: Он ушел из жизни, когда Украинский народ ведет героическую борьбу по защите Европы
...
«Он ушел из жизни, когда Украинский народ ведет героическую борьбу по защите Европы. Почтите его память! R.I.P», - написал Анджей Дуда о Леониде Кравчуке.
...
Цитата:
Скончался Леонид Кравчук- первый президент Украины
...
С 1950-х годов являлся членом Компартии Советского Союза, работал в отделе агитации и пропаганды Центрального комитета Компартии УССР.
В 1990-1991 годах был председателем Верховной Рады Украины.
В декабре 1991 года в качестве внепартийного кандидата победил на первых президентских выборах в независимой Украине и через несколько дней после этого вместе с российским и белорусским лидерами Борисом Ельциным и Станиславом Шушкевичем подписал Беловежское соглашение, которые положили конец Советского Союза.
Это событие он называл самым важным событием своей жизни.
...
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
В метро Киева хотят избавиться от всех вагонов российского производства
...
Из метро Киева уберут вагоны российского производства, которые составляют 88% вагонного парка киевской подземки.
Об этом пишет издание "Сегодня" со ссылкой на руководство метрополитена.
Такой процесс по модернизации и замене вагонов российского производства в киевском метро решили начать после получения членства в Международной ассоциации общественного транспорта, которая объединяет почти 2000 участников из 100 стран мира.
Всего на линиях киевской подземки сейчас эксплуатируется 821 вагон и сразу 726 в разные годы были изготовлены на заводах, которые находятся в России.
...
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Pussy Riot band leader escapes Russia disguised as a food delivery driver
...
“I was happy that I made it, because it was an unpredictable and big kiss-off to the Russian authorities,” Ms Alyokhina told The New York Times. “I still don't understand completely what I've done.”
Ms Alyokhina added: “I don't think Russia has a right to exist anymore. Even before, there were questions about how it is united, by what values it is united, and where it is going. But now I don't think that is a question anymore.”
...
Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine fall after Kyiv shuts one route
...
LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine fell by a quarter on Wednesday after Kyiv halted use of a major transit route blaming interference by occupying Russian forces, the first time exports via Ukraine have been disrupted since the invasion.
Ukraine has remained a major transit route for Russian gas to Europe even after Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in the country on Feb. 24.
The transit point Ukraine shut usually handles about 8% of Russian gas flows to Europe, although European states said they were still receiving supplies. The Ukraine corridor mostly sends gas to Austria, Italy, Slovakia and other east European states.
Kremlin-controlled Gazprom (GAZP.MM), which has a monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline, said it was still shipping gas to Europe via Ukraine, but volumes were seen at 72 million cubic metres (mcm) on Wednesday, down from 95.8 mcm on Tuesday.
GTSOU, which operates Ukraine's gas system, said on Tuesday it would suspend flows through the Sokhranovka transit point, which it said delivered almost a third of fuel piped from Russia to Europe via Ukraine.
GTSOU said it was declaring "force majeure", invoked when a business is hit by something beyond its control, and proposed diverting deliveries for Europe to the Sudzha entry point, the biggest of Ukraine's two crossing points.
The head of Ukraine's gas transit system said Russia closed two valves in the gas network on occupied Ukrainian territory and the value of the gas lost could add up to around $1 billion a month.
The gas pipeline via the Sokhranovka point runs through Ukraine's Luhansk region, part of which has been under control of pro-Russian separatists. Sudzha lies further north-west.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia remained committed to deals to supply gas, when asked to comment on the row with Ukraine over the transit route.
Russia's Gazprom said the security of gas supplies has been undermined by Ukraine shutting one entry point for Russian gas transit to Europe.
Last month, Bulgaria and Poland refused to pay for Russian gas via a new payment mechanism and had their supplies stopped. With the Sokhranovka point now closed, up to a third of Europe's gas supplies could be disrupted, analysts said.
REPLACING RUSSIAN FLOWS
Wednesday's disruption drove Europe's benchmark gas price for the third quarter up to 100 euros per megawatt hour at the market open before slipping back. The price is more than 250% above its level a year ago.
Ukraine's gas transit operator said it has proposed to Gazprom it could move transit volumes to Sudzha at no extra cost but Gazprom says it is not technically possible to shift all volumes to the route.
Daily gas flows via Sokhranovka have averaged 23 mcm so far this month, 20% lower than the previous month, according to consultancy Rystad Energy. Last year, the EU imported around 155 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas from Russia overall.
Daily flows via Sudzha have averaged around 70 mcm this month, near its 77 mcm/day capacity. While another 6 mcm/day could potentially be added on top of that, 10 mcm/day of gas flow would need to be re-directed via other routes, where capacity seems to be full, Rystad Energy said.
Ukraine's gas transit operator, however, said Sudzha's daily capacity could reach as much as 244 million cubic metres (mcm).
Most European countries have cut reliance on Russian gas in recent years but it remains the EU's top supplier. Some countries have alternative sources of supply, although replacing all Russian flows presents a challenge given the global gas market was tight even before the Ukraine war.
Slovak Economy Minister Richard Sulik said the flow of gas to Slovakia from Ukraine was stable and there were no signs of a supply problem, while Austrian energy group OMV (OMVV.VI) said its gas deliveries were running according to requests.
Europe also receives Russian gas via Poland through the Yamal-Europe pipeline and via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said gas deliveries to Germany were stable, seeing no reason to move to the next phase of an emergency plan after triggering a first phase in March.
In Italy - which last year consumed 76 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas about 40% of which was imported from Russia via Ukraine - energy transition minister Roberto Cingolani said moves to find alternative supplies would end the country's reliance on Moscow by the second half of 2024.
But measures needed to be phased in over time and he warned a halt to Russian flows this month would create a serious problem filling storage sites ahead of winter.
Europe is racing to build a buffer of stored gas to help cope with potential supply disruptions and reduce Russia's leverage.
EU gas stocks are about 37% full, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe data, an improvement on a couple of months ago but still below normal for the time of year.
"The knock-on effect of removing a further pipeline from Europe’s gas grid...will make it harder for countries to meet their storage targets and hasten Europe’s plans to move away from imports of Russian gas," said Rystad Energy analyst Zongqiang Luo.
"As the European gas grid is well integrated, no one country is likely to suffer any immediate impact, but this will put further strain on the system and place a floor on downside price movement," he added.
Реклама Агрессии.
Окончание поста от 11.05.2022 г. следует…
Последний раз редактировалось: Dimitriy (12.05.2022 2:19), всего редактировалось 5 раз(а)
«Нельзя всю вину сваливать на Путина. Мы считаем, что вину за войну несет весь российский народ»
...
В.Г.:У нас среди украинской интеллигенции, людей СМИ и науки и прочих распространено мнение о том, что нельзя всю вину сваливать на Путина. Мы считаем, что вину за войну несет весь российский народ, в том числе российская интеллигенция. Мы считаем особенно опасным обвинять во всем Путина. Ведь у российской интеллигенции и российского народа в отличие от немцев в нацисткой Германии была возможность читать инопрессу, смотреть зарубежные телеканалы, включая украинские, и анализировать происходящее. Им только вот сейчас перекрыли доступ к информации. Поэтому это добровольное одурманивание.
Н.О.:А чем это обусловлено?
В.Г.:Я связываю это, прежде всего, с тем, что после развала Советского Союза российская нация, а это имперская нация, получила сильный удар по национальному достоинству и самосознанию. Россияне – это нация, привыкшая быть империей. Российская нация некоторое время пребывала в шоке, а когда Путин пришел к власти, то он активизировал сознание российское имперской нации. Путин, как Гитлер, объединил российский народ, интеллигенцию, российскую глубинку. В основе вот этого единения легло убеждение, что Россия должна встать с колен, что россияне – великий народ, «дошли до Берлина, дойдем и до Вашингтона» и тому подобное.
То есть мы имеем дело с очень похожими процессами. Немцы и россияне – это две имперские нации, развязавшие Первую и Вторую мировые войны, а сейчас уже Третью мировую войну.
Российское имперское сознание активизировалось, и сейчас россияне несут такую же ответственность, как и Путин.
...
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Urgency mounts for U.S. answer to Russian blockade
...
A growing number of U.S. lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to establish a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, in an effort to circumvent a Russian military blockade that’s threatening to financially strangle Ukraine while holding back millions of tons of grain from the world food supply.
While European Union officials, with U.S. help, are set to announce a new effort to ship Ukrainian grain over land routes via rail and truck, the land routes are expensive and time-consuming to establish, and even the planners acknowledge they won’t make up for the volume that can be moved by seaport. The bipartisan group of lawmakers argue they have a narrow window to act, as Russian President Vladimir Putin steps up attacks on Ukraine’s east and south, including the strategic port city of Odesa, the sole remaining port under Kyiv’s control — albeit currently inoperable.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday acknowledged growing alarm over the situation and said the U.S. was working on solutions “to get this food out into the world so that it could help bring down prices.” Biden officials have been exploring options to navigate the flow of grain around the Russian blockade, according to three administration officials. But it’s an immense logistical and political challenge that could spark retaliation from Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy recently conveyed to Biden and, separately, to a group of U.S. lawmakers visiting Kyiv late last month, that the next few weeks will be critical to keeping Odesa in Ukrainian hands, while limiting the depth of the growing global food crisis, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Ukraine is one of the world’s leading exporters of wheat and a particularly important supplier to the Middle East and Africa. But millions of tons of wheat, corn and sunflower oil have been locked in the country since Russia’s invasion and subsequent blockade. Ukrainian farmers are now preparing to harvest the crops they planted last winter, but will have no place to store them if they can’t ship existing crops overseas.
Adding to the urgency is Russia’s growing assault on Odesa, which lawmakers say is part of the reason they want to move rapidly to pass a new $40 billion Ukraine aid package to bolster Ukraine’s defenses and, ideally, help reestablish operations at the port.
“It’s gotta happen,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), one of the lawmakers who met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv, said of reestablishing port operations and a route out of the current war zone in the Black sea for ships carrying grain.
Crow said he talked with Zelenskyy about establishing a 20-mile buffer zone between Romania and Turkey that ships carrying grain could hug while avoiding Russian artillery. He acknowledged, however, that it’s a huge undertaking.
Since the beginning of the invasion, the U.S. has feared that Russian forces will try to take control of Odesa. U.S. officials say Putin in the early weeks of the invasion appeared set on capturing the strategically located port city, which sits between Russian-annexed Crimea to the south and the Russian-supported breakaway region known as Transnistria.
Crow, a former Army ranger, said he’s discussed some of the significant challenges of resuming port operations with Zelenskyy and U.S. officials. The Ukrainians need more weapons and diesel fuel to protect and operate the port. They also need help clearing the sea mines they put in place to protect the city from a Russian advance. But Ukraine doesn’t have the demining ships necessary for the job, Crow said — the U.S. or another country would need to sail such a military ship through the Black Sea to Odesa, a move Russia would view as an escalatory act by itself.
And there’s another snag: Turkey has banned all military ships from entering the Black Sea following the invasion. So the U.S. and Turkey would need to negotiate some sort of an agreement.
Crow dismissed calls for NATO to enforce a humanitarian corridor for the grain ships to navigate the Russian blockade, saying it presented similar issues to a no-fly zone over Ukraine that the Biden administration has resisted — likely requiring U.S. and other Western military ships to escort the cargo in the Black Sea. It’s a precarious option given Russian forces’ presence in nearby Crimea, and could trigger a direct military confrontation. Crow said the United Nations and Red Cross would be in a better position to establish such a corridor, without military enforcement.
A U.S. defense official said the Pentagon wasn’t preparing any plans for a NATO-enforced humanitarian corridor for grain.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, acknowledged “NATO’s not been willing” to enforce sea humanitarian corridors to provide safe passage for ships carrying grain out of Ukraine. “I think there’s a greater likelihood that the U.N. would be willing to do that and that they would be better intermediaries than NATO,” she added.
Some fellow Democrats are doubtful that the Odesa port could resume operations for grain shipments in the next few months.
“Those ports are not going to be open if Russia continues what it’s doing,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said. “I just don’t see how. That’s a problem.”
But Crow said he still has hope a sea corridor could work, arguing there’s a narrow window to act and the U.S. needs to do so while it still can. Crow previously told POLITICO that in their meeting, Zelenskyy requested more anti-ship missiles, including Harpoons, to push back Russia’s military assault on Odesa via the Black Sea.
“They’re sitting now on 12 million tons of agricultural products from the last harvest that will spoil by this fall unless it’s shipped,” Crow said, noting that didn’t include the upcoming summer wheat harvest. That harvest, surprisingly, is expected to be a potential bumper crop for Ukraine despite heavy fighting in parts of the country and Russia’s continued targeting of grain silos and theft of grain.
Lawmakers and international watchers argue the sea corridor is the only way to move enough food amid sky-high global food and shipping costs. A major part of Ukraine’s appeal as a grain producer is its proximity to the Middle East and North Africa, which cuts down on shipping time and cost.
U.S. officials are especially worried about countries like Lebanon, which can only store one month’s worth of wheat after the 2020 Beirut port blast destroyed its key grain silos. Lebanon has relied on the seven-day travel time from Ukraine’s Black Sea coast to its Tripoli port to ensure that it would not run out of wheat, according to Michaël Tanchum, an associate senior policy fellow in the Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations and a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington. Even if Lebanon can secure grain shipments from other countries at the current sky-high costs, it might not arrive in time.
“The bottom line is, if those ports are not opened up, it’s going to devastate millions of people around the world,” David Beasley, who heads the World Food Program, said in an interview. Beasley was in Odesa in recent days and described the once-bustling port as “a ghost town.”
Beasley noted that even if Ukraine’s farmers can harvest a significant wheat crop this summer, they won’t have anywhere to store it unless the U.S. and other countries help reestablish grain shipments from Odesa.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of the lawmakers pushing for a humanitarian corridor from Odesa, has also led the effort for Congress to approve new global food aid in the wake of Russia’s invasion, along with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Coons, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, is leading a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday where Beasley and others are set to testify on the need for the U.S. to send more global food aid abroad, in an effort to avoid social unrest and political destabilization that’s unfolding across Sri Lanka, Peru and other countries amid protests over high food and fuel costs.
Unlike Crow, Coons suggested he could potentially support a NATO-enforced humanitarian corridor to escort grain cargoes from Odesa out of the Black Sea to hungry populations across Africa and the Middle East.
“I think it just would further heighten the brutality and inhumanity of the Russian aggression, if they prevent grain shipments from leaving Odesa,” Coons said.
Coons, a close ally of Biden, acknowledged the concerns about NATO involvement and said the U.S. is trying to avoid a “Russia versus NATO” conflict.
“But if the United Nations authorized a humanitarian corridor and action to enforce it, I would expect that, if necessary, the naval resources would come from a number of countries in the region,” Coons said.
“Frankly, we’re at the beginning stages of that conversation,” he added.
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Putin's current dilemma was JFK's worst fear
...
Reflecting on the Cuban missile crisis, President John Kennedy once warned that nuclear powers "must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war."
The showdown with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine does not yet mirror the one-minute-to-midnight brinkmanship that brought the Soviet Union and the West to the cusp of Armageddon in October 1962.
But Kennedy's superpower logic is resounding poignantly as Putin gets backed into a corner by the strategic disaster of his war, Ukraine's heroic resistance and an extraordinary multibillion-dollar allied conveyor of arms and ammunition.
President Joe Biden, who has always stated his twin aims are to help Ukraine defend itself and to avoid a direct escalation with Putin that could risk nuclear war, seems to have been mulling JFK's warning.
At a fundraiser in Potomac, Maryland, on Monday night, Biden confided that he was concerned Putin had yet to devise an exit from the war, despite the former KGB officer's "calculating" nature.
Senior national security officials, meanwhile, admit they do not yet know what kind of incremental Russian success in eastern and southern Ukraine would allow Putin to declare a victory of sorts and de-escalate the war, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported.
This is all a worry. But it's one that seems somewhat discordant with US policy. After all, Washington's explicitly stated aim in supporting Ukraine is that Putin loses the war. Biden has asked Congress for $33 billion to send military and other aid to Ukraine, and the House on Tuesday voted to pass a roughly $40 billion bill. Washington is flooding the battlefield with anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, radars, drones, artillery rounds and howitzers.
This aggressive Western approach, the slow progress of Putin's war of attrition and the lack of any diplomatic effort to end the war mean that it is almost certain the Russian leader will get further backed into a dangerous corner.
Putin's only exit option right now appears to be a capitulation, and a tacit admission that the Western effort, combined with fierce Ukrainian courage, got the better of him -- a position that would be politically impossible to adopt.
How far would Putin go?
There is no real consensus on what Putin might do if he's desperate. While he doesn't share Washington's logical and accurate view that he's losing the war, there's no indication he's suicidal and would risk a full-scale nuclear confrontation by testing Western resolve.
Several senior US officials have publicly voiced the fear that Putin might reach for tactical, lower-yield battlefield nuclear arms as an alternative to a humiliating defeat in Ukraine. There was some relief on that score on Tuesday, when Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a congressional committee that the US view is there is not "an imminent potential for Putin to use nuclear weapons." And the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, said that assessment also encompasses tactical or battlefield devices.
But it's hardly alarmist to consider the possibility. Putin has proved himself a ruthless leader with little compunction about causing mass casualties. He razed cities in Chechnya and unleashed his forces on civilians in Syria. His war in Ukraine has featured merciless shelling and bombing of residential areas, schools, stations and shelters, and apparent war crimes by his troops. Thousands of his soldiers have died. And Putin has already used weapons of mass destruction -- for instance, targeting Russian defectors on British soil with radioactive elements and nerve agents -- with zero regard for civilians, according to the UK government.
Russia's willingness to threaten the use of nuclear weapons -- in a way that the Soviet Union rarely did during the Cold War -- to terrorize Western publics is, meanwhile, underscoring the kind of advantage the world's most fearsome arsenal can bring to rogue states that want to forestall the possibility of Western intervention.
Putin shows no sign of eyeing the exits
While the US can be criticized for failing to give Putin the kind of way out that Biden was speculating about, such an initiative would be hard -- and might not work anyway.
To begin with, Putin is not eyeing the exits. While the war is an economic, military and strategic disaster for Russia, the Kremlin leader dances to his own logic. If he can't control all of Ukraine or topple its government, creating vast human and material destruction that prevents Ukraine from functioning as a normal economy and punishes its aspirations to join the West may be enough -- and could act as a deterrent to other ex-Soviet orbit states.
That's perhaps one reason why Haines suggested on Tuesday that the Russian leader was "preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas." But she warned the mismatch between Putin's military capabilities and his ambitions meant that he could be forced back into that dangerous corner -- and lash out.
"The current trend increases the likelihood that President Putin will turn to more drastic means, including imposing martial law, reorienting industrial production or potentially escalatory military actions to free up the resources needed to achieve his objectives as the conflict drags on, or if he perceives Russia is losing in Ukraine," Haines said.
The idea that Putin could be coaxed out of the strategic cul-de-sac in which he finds himself also falls down for two other reasons. First, the Russian leader refused all diplomatic off-ramps, entreaties and warnings to de-escalate the conflict before the invasion. Now the stakes for his personal prestige, political position and Russia's reputation -- as well as history's judgment -- are more acute. In fact, there were signs of a possible fresh escalation Tuesday as Belarus moved special forces to the borders of Ukraine, citing what it claimed was Western aggression.
The second reason why this may not be the time for diplomacy lies in the belief in hawkish Western capitals, like London and Washington, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's forces, flush with Western arms, have earned the right to win the war -- and might end up doing so. Ukraine is, after all, the wronged party, which has suffered an unprovoked invasion.
And so far, Putin hasn't targeted arms convoys headed to Ukraine on NATO soil or staged major cyberattacks against Western targets -- at least any that are publicly known. Both omissions suggest the power of deterrence.
But as the war drags on, with the constant danger of an escalation or a miscalculation that would precipitate a wider clash, cracks may be opening in the fortress of Western unity.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who tried unsuccessfully to convince Putin not to invade Ukraine, condemned the Russian leader's bellicose Victory Day rhetoric. But he also said that eventually Ukraine and Russia would have to sit down and talk peace -- a cause that would not be served by Moscow's "humiliation." Macron then spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping, a Putin ally, on Tuesday, after which the Élysée Palace said they had agreed "on the urgency of a ceasefire."
And there was a striking moment in the Oval Office on Tuesday, when Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, after lauding Western unity on Ukraine and condemning the Russian invasion, had this to say to Biden before the cameras:
"I have to tell you that in Italy and in Europe now, people want to put an end to ... these massacres, to this violence, this butchery that's happening. And people think about what can we do to bring peace.
"At least they want to think about the possibility of bringing a ceasefire and starting again some credible negotiations. That's the situation right now. I think that we have to think deeply on how to address this."
His comments reflected a growing nervousness that without some kind of outside intervention, Putin could well get pushed into the kind of corner that Kennedy was talking about in a speech at American University in June 1963.
Months earlier, as the world had held its breath in fear of nuclear war, Kennedy had engineered a way for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to stand down without losing face in their standoff over Cuba.
Six decades later, some kind of similar accommodation, however painful that may be, could be required for Putin.
Россия твердо говорит США, что капитуляции Москвы на Украине не будет — посол РФ в США Антонов.
Цитата:
"Нашей стране плевать". Медведев отреагировал на заявление G7 о непризнании изменений границ Украины
Цитата:
Истребители Су-27 Балтийского флота провели тренировку по отражению авиаудара условного противника по Калининградской области, сообщили в пресс-службе флота.
"По замыслу тренировки, самолеты условного противника нарушили государственную границу Российской Федерации и предприняли попытку нанести ракетно-бомбовый удар по стратегически важным военным объектам в Калининградской области", - сообщили в пресс-службе.
Цитата:
Информация о якобы готовящейся эвакуации населения приграничных сел Белгородской области не соответствует действительности, сообщила пресс-служба ГУ МЧС по региону.
"Жители региона сообщают о том, что им с неизвестных номеров поступают звонки, в ходе которых лица, представляющиеся сотрудниками МЧС, сообщают, что начиная с 15 мая готовится эвакуация жителей приграничных населенных пунктов нашего региона. Эта информация не соответствует действительности и является фейком", говорится в сообщении.
Цитата:
Телеведущую Ксению Собчак проверят на предмет возможного иностранного финансирования, если оно будет выявлено, то журналистку могут признать иноагентом, сообщил общественник Александр Ионов.
Путин и президент Финляндии провели откровенный обмен мнениями в связи с объявленным намерением страны подать заявку на вступление в НАТО, сообщили в Кремле.
Путин заявил Ниинистё, что отказ от традиционной политики военного нейтралитета был бы ошибочным, никаких угроз безопасности Финляндии нет.
Цитата:
Турция не закрыла дверь для вступления Швеции и Финляндии в НАТО, но хочет переговоров с соседними странами и пресечения того, что она считает террористической деятельностью, особенно в Стокгольме, заявил Reuters представитель президента Эрдогана.
Цитата:
Турецкий народ просит руководство страны заблокировать вступление Финляндии и Швеции в НАТО, Анкара готова обсудить это с союзниками — глава МИД Турции Чавушоглу.
Цитата:
Пока рано говорить о размещении Россией ядерного оружия в Балтийском регионе — МИД РФ.
Цитата:
Финляндия готова к возможным действиям России в связи со вступлением страны в НАТО, заявила финский министр государственной собственности и отношений с ЕС Тютти Туппурайнен.
"Мы готовы к всевозможным неприятным мерам против нас, но паники абсолютно нет, и мы не боимся. Мы готовились к всевозможным действиям, и это касается наших собственных решений", сказала Туппурайнен в эфире Sky News.
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Ukraine news – live: Mitch McConnell meets Zelensky in Kyiv, as Russia threatens UK
...
US Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell made a surprise visit to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
President Zelensky said the visit “is a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine from the United States Congress and the American people,” according to a post on his Instagram account.
“Thank you for your leadership in helping us in our struggle not only for our country, but also for democratic values and freedoms. We really appreciate it,” Mr Zelensky said. Mr McConnell was joined by three Republican senators.
Earlier, a Russian defence chief warned Britain and the US again of Moscow’s new arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The RS-28 Sarmat, or Satan-2, hypersonic nuclear missile could strike Britain in just “200 seconds”, said Russia’s defence committee deputy chair Aleksey Zhurvlyov.
Mr Zhurvlyov blamed the US and UK for provoking Finland to join Nato – a move considered in Moscow to be a risk to Russian security.
...
Цитата:
В посольстве США назвали условия, при которых Вашингтон поддержит мирный договор между Украиной и Россией
...
В посольстве США считают что потенциальный мирный договор между Украиной и Россией должен учитывать, прежде всего, интересы украинцев.
"Я бы хотела увидеть дипломатическое решение этого, но очевидно, что не может быть дипломатического решения, при котором Украина проиграет, а Россия победит. Это неприемлемый вариант окончания этой односторонней агрессии. Я бы хотела, чтобы Украина и РФ достигли мирового соглашения, которое было бы приемлемым для Украины. И если оно будет таким, то США его поддержат", – объяснила Кристина Квин.
...
Цитата:
Цитата:
Turkey has offered sea evacuation for wounded Ukrainian fighters, Erdogan adviser says
...
ISTANBUL, May 14 (Reuters) - NATO member Turkey has proposed carrying out a sea evacuation of wounded fighters holed up in a steel works in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said on Saturday.
Ibrahim Kalin told Reuters in an interview that he had personally discussed the proposal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv two weeks ago and that it remains "on the table" although Moscow has not agreed to it.
Under the plan, people evacuated from the vast Azovstal steel plant would be taken by land to the port of Berdyansk, which like Mariupol is on the Sea of Azov, and a Turkish vessel would take them across the Black Sea to Istanbul, he said.
"If it can be done that way, we are happy to do it. We are ready. In fact our ship is ready to go and bring the injured soldiers and other civilians to Turkey," said Kalin, who is also Erdogan's top foreign policy adviser.
Ukraine and Russia did not immediately comment on the possibility of an evacuation by sea.
After weeks of Russian siege and bombardment, Mariupol is in Russian hands, but hundreds of Ukrainian fighters are holding out under heavy fire at the steel works.
A number of civilians who were sheltering in the plant were evacuated this month with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations. Turkey's proposal included evacuating the civilians who were still there.
COMPLEX TALKS
Zelenskiy has said complex talks are under way to evacuate a large number of wounded soldiers from the steel works in return for the release of Russian prisoners of war. read more
Russia, which initially said the fighters should surrender, has said little publicly about the talks.
Kalin said the Russian position "changes day to day".
"They look at the security situation on the ground and other dynamics, their negotiations, their own internal coordination," he said. "So sometimes it is hard to get a firm response (or) commitment from either side."
Turkey neighbours Russia and Ukraine, has good ties with both and has tried to facilitate peace talks. It objected to Russia's invasion and has supplied Kyiv with armed drones though it also opposes Western sanctions on Moscow. read more
Kalin said the naval evacuation from Berdyansk was one of a number of proposals to reach a ceasefire and carry out an evacuation.
"It may happen, yes. I believe it may happen," he said.
"The boat is still in Istanbul. It is ready to sail but we are waiting for final clearance from Russian and Ukrainian side for it to go to Berdyansk and bring those injured soldiers to Turkey."
Цитата:
Финал Евровидения-2022. Лидер Kalush Orchestra со сцены призвал помочь "Азовстали" и Мариуполю. Видео
…
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
В МИД ФРГ заявили, что передать Украине замороженные в Германии активы РФ непросто
...
"Доступ к замороженным денежным средствам с юридической точки зрения совсем непростая задача", - заявила глава немецкого ведомства.
Напомним, что несколько дней назад глава европейской дипломатии Жозеп Боррель предложил "подумать" над тем, чтобы помогать Украине из российских резервов, замороженных на Западе. Он считает, что это было бы справедливо по отношению к Украине. Также передать российские миллиарды на восстановление после войны требует и Киев.
...
Joly says Canada ready to help export Ukraine's grain as 'millions' could face famine
...
WEISSENHAUS, Germany -
The Group of Seven leading economies warned Saturday that the war in Ukraine is stoking a global food and energy crisis which threatens poor countries, and urgent measures are needed to unblock stores of grain that Russia is preventing from leaving Ukraine.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who hosted a meeting of top G7 diplomats, said the war had become a "global crisis."
She said up to 50 million people, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, would face hunger in the coming months unless ways are found to release Ukrainian grain, which accounts for a sizeable share of the worldwide supply.
In statements released at the end of the three-day meeting on Germany's Baltic Sea coast, the G7 pledged to provide further humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable.
"Russia's war of aggression has generated one of the most severe food and energy crises in recent history which now threatens those most vulnerable across the globe," the group said.
"We are determined to accelerate a coordinated multilateral response to preserve global food security and stand by our most vulnerable partners in this respect," it added.
Canada's foreign minister, Melanie Joly, said her country, another major agricultural exporter, stands ready to send ships to European ports so Ukrainian grain can be brought to those in need.
"We need to make sure that these cereals are sent to the world," she told reporters. "If not, millions of people will be facing famine."
Russia dismissed the claim that it was responsible for worsening global hunger and driving up food prices.
"Prices are rising because of sanctions imposed by the West under pressure of the USA," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "Failure to understand this is a sign either of stupidity or intentional misleading of the public."
The G7 nations also called on China not to help Russia, including by undermining international sanctions or justifying Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
Beijing should support the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, and not "assist Russia in its war of aggression," they said.
The G7 urged China "to desist from engaging in information manipulation, disinformation and other means to legitimize Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."
The grouping, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, also reiterated its stance that the territories seized by Russian forces need to be returned to Ukraine.
"We will never recognize borders Russia has attempted to change by military aggression," they said.
The meeting in Weissenhaus, northeast of Hamburg, was billed as an opportunity for officials to discuss the broader implications of the war for geopolitics, energy and food security, and ongoing international efforts to tackle climate change and the pandemic.
In a series of closing statements, the G7 nations also addressed a wide range of global problems from the situation in Afghanistan to tensions in the Middle East.
On Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba appealed to friendly countries to provide more military support to Kyiv and increase the pressure on Russia, including by seizing its assets abroad to pay for rebuilding Ukraine.
Kuleba said his country remains willing to talk to Russia about unblocking grain supplies stuck in Ukraine's silos and also about reaching a political agreement to end the war itself, but had so far received "no positive feedback" from Moscow.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published Saturday that he had not detected any change in Putin's stance recently.
Scholz, who spoke at length by phone with the Russian leader Friday, told German news portal t-online that Putin had failed to achieve the military objectives he set out at the start of the war while losing more Russian soldiers than the Soviet Union did during its decade-long campaign in Afghanistan.
"Putin should slowly begin to understand that the only way out of this situation is through an agreement with Ukraine," Scholz was quoted as saying.
One idea discussed at the G7 meeting was whether Russian state assets frozen abroad can be used to pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
"Russia bears responsibility for the massive damage resulting from this war," Baerbock said. "And that's why it's a question of justice that Russia should have to pay for this damage."
But she added that, unlike in Canada -- where legislation allows for seized funds to be repurposed -- the legal basis for doing so in Germany is uncertain.
"But that's precisely what such meetings are for, to have an exchange about how to resolve these legal questions," Baerbock said.
Many of the foreign ministers traveled straight on to an informal meeting of NATO diplomats in Berlin on Saturday and Sunday.
That gathering will consider moves by Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance amid concerns about the threat from Russia, as well as ways in which NATO can support Ukraine without being drawn into the conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was unable to attend the G7 meeting after recovering from a COVID-19 infection, was expected at the NATO gathering.
...
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Страны Группы семи (G7 - Великобритания, Германия, Италия, Канада, США, Франция и Япония) утверждают, что будут поставлять оружие Украине в случае необходимости на протяжении долгого времени, говорится в совместном заявлении, принятом главами МИД стран G7.
"Мы будем продолжать оказывать нашу военную помощь Украине до тех пор, пока это будет необходимо", - говорится в документе.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Цитата:
Сообщают, что украинское командование запретило своим военнослужащим публично (СМИ, социальные сети и т.д) критиковать или любым иным способом негативно высказываться в отношении иностранной военной техники, которую Запад передаёт ВСУ.
Для нарушителей приказа предусмотрена дисциплинарная ответственность.
На сегодняшний день Киев фиксирует отрицательные отзывы об американских и британских ПТРК и ПЗРК, польских и чешских танках и САУ.
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Глава МИД ФРГ заявила об угрозе глобального голода из-за войны в Украине
...
В своем вступительном слове на встрече министров иностранных дел G7 Анналена Бербок обвинила Россию в ведении "гибридной войны" и препятствовании экспорту зерна из украинских портов.
"Россия не позволяет экспортировать миллионы тонн зерна. Это большая, большая опасность", — сказала она.
"И на данный момент мы видим только верхушку айсберга. Мы все знаем, что если летом во всем мире разразится климатический кризис, ситуация станет еще хуже", — добавила она.
Бербок заявил, что "Большая семерка" ведущих промышленно развитых стран согласилась взять на себя ответственность и действовать быстро, чтобы справиться с предстоящим кризисом.
...
Ливия заявила о невозможности нарастить экспорт газа и нефти для ЕС
У Государства Ливия нет избыточных объемов природных ресурсов для поставок на европейский рынок и замещения российского экспорта, заявил министр нефти и газа Мухаммед Аун.
Национальной нефтяной корпорации направлены директивы сосредоточить усилия на разработке ранее не освоенных нескольких нефтяных и газовых месторождений, пишет информационный портал Akhbarlibya24.
Процессы развития [новых месторождений], по словам министра, "нуждаются в финансировании и квалифицированном, эффективном и прозрачном управлении".
11 мая глава правительство Ливии заявило о снятии продолжавшейся почти месяц блокады нефтяных портов и месторождений. За неделю до этого возобновил работу один из основных экспортных портов "нефтяного полумесяца" Ливии Зувейтина, блокированный с 17 апреля, сообщает ТАСС. Люди добивались "справедливого распределения нефтяных доходов" и требовали отставки главы NOC, обвинив его в "преступной передаче доходов от нефти правительству Дбейбы в нарушение решений парламента".
Цитата:
КНР наращивает газопроводные мощности
1,9 трлн долларов потратит Китай на расширение национальной газопроводной системы, готовя ее в том числе и под растущий газовый импорт из России. В планах КНР увеличение протяженности внутренних газопроводов до 163 тыс. км к 2025 году. По информации «Газпрома», поставки природного газа в Китай в первом квартале текущего года выросли на 60%. Обе страны нацелены на продолжение и развитие сотрудничества в газовой сфере. По данным Интерфакса, товарооборот России и Китая в первые четыре месяца текущего года вырос на 25,9%, до 51 млрд долларов. Порядка 70% стоимости ввозимых из России в Китай товаров приходится на импорт углеводородного сырья. Согласно планам российских властей, годовой оборот взаимной торговли может достичь в ближайшее время 200 млрд долларов.
...
Цитата:
Цитата:
Стоимость топлива в США бьет рекорд за рекордом
Стоимость бензина на автозаправках в США вновь побила исторический рекорд, достигнув $4,432 за один галлон (3,785 литра). Об этом свидетельствуют опубликованные в пятницу данные некоммерческой Американской автомобильной ассоциации, отслеживающей расценки на более чем 60 тыс. АЗС в стране.
По ее данным, средняя стоимость галлона бензина к утру пятницы поднялась в США до $4,432 (в четверг этот показатель составлял $4,418). Самые высокие цены на бензин по стране традиционно остаются в штате Калифорния, где автомобилистам за один галлон придется отдать в среднем $5,872.
Цитата:
Пелоси предложит законопроект, позволяющий президенту сделать повышение цен на бензин незаконным
Спикер Палаты представителей Пелоси заявила в четверг, что демократы представят законопроект о повышении цен на бензин на следующей неделе.
По словам репортера Bloomberg Energy Хавьера Бласа, законопроект позволит президенту издавать чрезвычайные указы, запрещающие повышать цены на бензин.
Учитывая, что спикер представляет партию, контролирующую как Конгресс, так и Белый дом, заявление вряд ли будет проигнорировано.
Нехватка нефтепродуктов во всем мире в сочетании с ценовыми ограничениями внутри страны, естественно, приведет к тому, что переработчики будут экспортировать еще больше продукции. Хотя это поможет европейским союзникам справиться с текущим дефицитом, это может усугубить дефицит, уже возникающий в США.
Это в свою очередь может повысить вероятность запрета на экспорт нефтепродуктов, аналогичного запрету на экспорт сырой нефти в период с 1975 по 2015 год.
Цитата:
До конца мая Украина рассчитывает получить 350-360 тысяч тонн горючего благодаря открытию новых логистических маршрутов.
Как сообщила первый вице-премьер Юлия Свириденко во время заседания правительства, Украина договорилась о реверсе по трубопроводу из Венгрии:
"Вчера была достигнута договоренность о том, что 35 тысяч тонн в месяц мы будем получать как государство. Есть возможность увеличения этого объема до 50 тысяч тонн".
Wood Mackenzie: $40 млрд потеряли нефтегазовые компании от ухода из России
Только в первом квартале 2022 года нефтегазовые компании потеряли $40 млрд от ухода из России, сообщает международная консалтинговая компания Wood Mackenzie, отметив, что после начала спецоперации на Украине большинство энергетических мейджоров заявили о продаже своих активов в РФ или резком сокращении активности: инвестиционной и операционной.
Больше всех, по данным WoodMac, потеряла ВР — $24,4 млрд. Она объявила о продаже 19,75-процентной доли в «Роснефти» и выходе из трех СП — «Таас-Юрях Нефтегазодобыча», «Ермак Нефтегаз» и «Харампурнефтегаз».
В то же время Total — из-за прекращения инвестиций в Россию, проблем с завершением строительства «Арктик СПГ 2» из-за санкций на СПГ-оборудование со стороны ЕС — списала $4,1 млрд. Компания до конца 2022 года надеется перестать закупать российские нефть и нефтепродукты, возможно, резко снизит участие в проектах с НОВАТЭКом.
Shell потеряла $3,9 млрд, в том числе $1,9 млрд от ухода из проекта «Сахалин-2», $1,126 млрд — расходы от потери вложений в «Северный поток-2», $858 млн — списания по СП с «Газпромнефтью» и маркетинговым активам.
$3,4 млрд списала ExxonMobil после решения о выходе из «Сахалин-1» и СП с «Роснефтью», пообещав больше не инвестировать в Россию.
Австрийская OMV потеряла $2,1 млрд: €1 млрд по проекту «Северный поток-2» и €658 млн от продажи доли в совместном с «Газпромом» Южно-Русском месторождении и трейдинговой «Газпром ЮРГМ Девелопмент».
Wintershall Dea AG лишилась $1,6 млрд после списания финансирования «Северного потока-2» и прекращения инвестиций в РФ.
Норвежская Equinor отразила чистый убыток от списания активов в РФ на уровне $1,08 млрд. Компания выходит из трех месторождений в стране — 1,6% ее общих запасов и 1% дневной добычи, пообещав при этом прекратить любое сотрудничество с Россией.
Russia makes new threats over use of Satan-2 hypersonic nuclear missile on Britain
...
Russia has made new threats to use its RS-28 Sarmat hypersonic nuclear missile – known in the west as “Satan-2” – to strike Britain in just “200 seconds”.
The warning from Russia’s defence committee deputy chairman, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, comes as Finland is poised to join Nato, and Sweden is set to follow suit.
“If Finland wants to join this bloc, then our goal is absolutely legitimate – to question the existence of this state. This is logical,” Mr Zhuravlyov claimed in an interview with state TV Russia 1.
“If the United States threatens our state, it’s good: here is the Sarmat for you, and there will be nuclear ashes from you if you think that Russia should not exist. And Finland says that it is at one with the USA. Well, get in line.”
Moscow tested its new intercontinental missile last month, announcing that the warhead which could target Europe and the US would be deployed by the autumn. The Sarmat is capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads and decoys, and of striking targets thousands of miles away.
Asked if Russia would now rebase nuclear weapons onto its border with Finland, he said: “What for? We don't need to.
“We can hit with a Sarmat from Siberia, and even reach the UK. And if we strike from Kaliningrad... the hypersonic's reaching time is 200 seconds – so go ahead, guys.
“On the Finnish border we will have not strategic weapons, but Kinzhal-class, one that will reach Finland in 20 seconds, or even 10 seconds.”
Russia has voiced its discontent at Finland’s intention to join Nato and said it would take “retaliatory steps” both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop threats to its national security rising.
Mr Zhuravlyov claimed Finland is being provoked into joining Nato by the US and the UK. “The Finns have nothing to share with us. They receive more than 90 per cent gas, timber and much more from us.
“Who needs fighting first of all? The Finns? They are not afraid that Russia is attacking them. Of course, sooner or later the Americans will force them to do so.
“Just as they forced Ukraine to do it, they are trying to force Poland and Romania. And, as practice shows, they succeed.”
Deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko said Moscow will take adequate precautionary measures if Nato deploys nuclear forces and infrastructure closer to Russia’s border, according to the RIA news agency.
He added that Moscow has no hostile intentions towards Finland and Sweden and does not see “real” reasons for those two countries to be joining Nato alliance.
In an interview with many colourful remarks such as labelling Baltic nations Lithuania and Estonia, stink bugs, Mr Zhuravlyov also claimed that St Petersburg – Putin’s birthplace – could be Nato’s first target in a war with Russia, adding that the US “will do everything possible to make World War Three happen”.
“They [the US] will be able to attribute all their problems to the war, as they already did in the First World War and the Second World War.
“They got out of their crisis only thanks to the war in Europe. But there is a big danger: who guarantees that nuclear missiles will not fly? I do not guarantee this.”
Russian energy supplier RAO Nordic says it will suspend deliveries of electricity to Finland from Saturday, citing problems with payments as tensions between the two nations rise. The Finnish grid operator said Russia provided only a small percentage of the country's electricity and that it could be replaced from alternative sources.
Fingrid said it did not expect electricity shortages as a result of the shut-off, as only about 10 per cent of Finland's electricity is supplied from Russia.
Замглавы МИД Польши: Действия посла РФ свидетельствуют о стране, которую он представляет
...
Замминистра иностранных дел РП Петр Вавжик сказал, что посол России в Польше Сергей Андреев своими действиями свидетельствует о своем государстве. Таким образом замминистр ответил в Сейме на вопрос депутата Гражданской коалиции о реакции польских властей на деятельность российского посла. «Не стоит ли сказать ему, что его место в Москве, а его присутствие в Варшаве ничему хорошему не служит, а служит лишь дальнейшему разрушению польско-российских отношений?», - задал в Сейме вопрос Павел Коваль.
Петр Вавжик в ответ подчеркнул, что посол России реализует директивы, присланные из Москвы:
«Что касается деятельности господина посла Андреева, то отмечу, что он - представитель РФ. Какова Российская Федерация, таково поведение посла. Он реализует приказы из Москвы. Поэтому большинство его действий следует рассматривать в категории провокаций. Какова страна, таков и посол. Если так себя ведет посол, то это красноречиво свидетельствует о государстве, которое он представляет».
Напомним, что 9 мая во время церемонии возложения венков на кладбище советских воинов посол РФ Сергей Андреев был облит протестующими украинцами красной краской. Внешнеполитическое ведомство Польши выразило сожаление по этому поводу и подчеркнуло, что предупреждало посла РФ не проводить церемонию.
...
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Министры сельского хозяйства Польши и Украины подписали соглашение об экспорте зерна из Украины
...
16 мая министры сельского хозяйства Польши и Украины подписали соглашение о содействии экспорту украинского зерна через территорию Польши. В Варшаве Генрик Ковальчик и Николай Сольский встретились с министром сельского хозяйства США Томом Вилсаком и комиссаром ЕС по сельскому хозяйству Янушем Войцеховским. Они обсудили проблемы с экспортом зерна из Украины и транспортные маршруты, которые могли бы стать альтернативой заблокированным оккупантами черноморским портам.
Министр сельского хозяйства и развития сельских районов Польши Генрик Ковальчик сообщил после встречи, что главной темой обсуждения было негативное влияние российского вторжения в Украину на сельскохозяйственное производство, особенно на экспорт зерна. Генрик Ковальчик подчеркнул, что решением может стать транспортировка зерна через Польшу и ее морские порты и другие европейские страны:
«Я нахожусь в контакте с правительством Украины и господином министром. По этому вопросу мы подписали соглашение, чтобы упростить перевоз зерна с Украины через Польшу, дорожным или железнодорожным путем. Важно, чтобы Украина имела возможность экспортировать как можно больше зерна как с нынешнего сезона, так и грядущих урожаев».
Комиссар ЕС по сельскому хозяйству Януш Войцеховский отметил, что отсутствие поставок зерна из Украины создаст серьезные проблемы, особенно в странах Ближнего Востока и Северной Африки:
«ЕК будет координировать выделение всего необходимого оборудования для создания этих «коридоров солидарности». Здесь речь идет о выделении вагонов, барж для речной транспортировки если это будет необходимо и другое необходимое оборудование. Также мы будем координировать упрощение пограничного досмотра, чтобы не возникало проблем на границе. Максимальное упрощение уже введено».
Участники конференции осудили российскую агрессию, а также кражу россиянами украинского зерна.
Цитата:
Министр сельского хозяйства США в Варшаве: Мы выделим $282 млн в связи с перебоями в экспорте зерна из Украины
...
Министр сельского хозяйства США Том Вилсак сообщил, что США выделят 282 миллиона долларов на закупку зерновых и удовлетворение продовольственных потребностей в связи с перебоями в экспорте из Украины. Эта страна не может экспортировать свои зерновые из-за российской блокады портов на Черном море.
Продовольственная безопасность в мире и сложности импорта из Украины стали главными темами встречи в Варшаве, в которой, кроме американского министра, приняли участие вице-премьер и министр сельского хозяйства и развития села Польши Хенрик Ковальчик, министр аграрной политики и продовольствия Украины Николай Сольский и комиссар ЕС по сельскому хозяйству Януш Войцеховский.
Министр сельского хозяйства США Том Вилсак заявил, что осуждает использование голода в качестве военного оружия во время российского вторжения в Украину и кражу зерна россиянами. «Трудолюбивые украинские фермеры собрали большие урожаи, в принципе только для того, чтобы россияне забрали их у них. Мы должны сделать все возможное, чтобы помешать России извлечь выгоду из этой кражи», – отметил он.
Том Вилсак подчеркнул, что США выделят финансовые средства для восполнения дефицита зерна на мировом рынке. Он добавил, что это будет грант в размере 282 млн долларов «на закупку зерна, необходимого в связи со срывом экспорта из Украины».
«Есть много стран в мире, которые зависят от этого и рассчитывают на то, что украинские фермеры будут производить зерно и растительное масло, необходимые для питания семей. К сожалению, из-за срыва эти потребности могут быть неудовлетворенными, если остальной мир не отреагирует», – пояснил министр сельского хозяйства США. Он также добавил, что США рассматривают очередной пакет помощи Украине, в том числе средства на гуманитарную помощь.
Реклама Агрессии.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Цитата:
Цитата:
"В целях сохранения жизней". Командир "Азова" заявил, что выполнит некий приказ командования
...
"Ни одно вооружение не будет работать без профессионально подготовленных военнослужащих, что делает их самым ценным элементом армии. В целях сохранения жизней весь мариупольский гарнизон выполняет утвержденное решение высшего военного командования и надеется на поддержку украинского народа", - сказал Прокопенко.
Какой именно приказ выполняет гарнизон Мариуполя "в целях сохранения жизней", он не уточнил.
...
Уровень доступа: Вы не можете начинать темы, Вы не можете отвечать на сообщения, Вы не можете редактировать свои сообщения, Вы не можете удалять свои сообщения, Вы не можете голосовать в опросах
Владимир Ступников, Генеральный директор коммуникационного агентства АУРА в составе Газпром-Медиа Холдинга. Социальные медиа становятся все более важным инструментом в работе каждого PR-специалиста, и одной из относительно новых, но стремительно растущих платформ, является Telegram. Этот мессенджер, изначально позиционировавшийся как безопасный и приватный инструмент связи, приобретает все большую популярность и привлекает внимание маркетологов и PR-специалистов по всему миру.
В 2024 году маркетологи все чаще начинают использовать метавселенные. По сравнению с социальными сетями, вовлеченность пользователей в иммерсивных площадках гораздо больше. Одним из самых интересных для клиентов форматов являются АR и VR. Как технологии будущего применять в маркетинге уже сегодня, разобрали в агентстве высоких откликов HICLICK.
Искусственный интеллект уже давно среди нас. Он прочно вошел в нашу жизнь, используется абсолютно в разных её сферах и кардинально меняет лицо современного бизнеса. Рекламная индустрия - не исключение. Самый яркий и известный пример - это нейросети, на основе которых построен поиск рекламных систем Яндекса. Использование нейросетей и других алгоритмов ИИ, делает рекламу еще более эффективной и качественной. Евгений Халин, директор по продуктам Коkос Group рассказывает о том, как работает ИИ, в чем его преимущество и какие перспективы нас ждут.
В период гендерных праздников предприниматели отмечают 50%-ый рост продаж. – Даже в случае торговли сепараторами или двигателями, при должном подходе. Для маркетологов это время – забег на короткие дистанции. Поэтому важно грамотно подойти к выбору инструментов.
Чего не хватает радио, чтобы увеличить свою долю на рекламном рынке? Аудиопиратство: угроза или возможности для отрасли? Каковы первые результаты общероссийской кампании по продвижению индустриального радиоплеера? Эти и другие вопросы были рассмотрены на конференции «Радио в глобальной медиаконкуренции», спикерами и участниками которой стали эксперты ГПМ Радио.
Деловая программа 28-й международной специализированной выставки технологий и услуг для производителей и заказчиков рекламы «Реклама-2021» открылась десятым юбилейным форумом «Матрица рекламы». Его организовали КВК «Империя» и «Экспоцентр».
28 марта в Центральном доме художника состоялась 25-ая выставка маркетинговых коммуникаций «Дизайн и реклама NEXT». Одним из самых ярких её событий стал День социальной рекламы, который организовала Ассоциация директоров по коммуникациям и корпоративным медиа России (АКМР) совместно с АНО «Лаборатория социальной рекламы» и оргкомитетом LIME.
На VII Международном форуме «Матрица рекламы», прошедшем в ЦВК «Экспоцентр» в рамках международной выставки «Реклама-2018», большой интерес у профессиональной аудитории вызвала VI Конференция «Интернет-реклама».
RSS