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cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4865888

At least three Russian oil refineries could face closures next year as declining exports, high crude oil costs and soaring interest rates lead to mounting financial losses, Reuters reported Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

The Tuapse refinery, a large but “relatively unsophisticated” facility owned by the state-backed oil giant Rosneft, has reportedly halted production multiple times this year. Smaller independent refineries, Ilsky in Krasnodar and Novoshakhtinsky in Rostov, have been operating at half capacity for months due to weak profit margins.

The struggling refineries, which are said to have sought financial support from the government, were also targeted in Ukrainian drone strikes this year. These disruptions have been compounded by the impact of Western sanctions, which force them to sell fuel at discounted rates.

“We expect that the actual [plant] closures may take place at the beginning of next year,” a source says.

[...]

At least three Russian oil refineries could face closures next year as declining exports, high crude oil costs and soaring interest rates lead to mounting financial losses, Reuters reported Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

The Tuapse refinery, a large but “relatively unsophisticated” facility owned by the state-backed oil giant Rosneft, has reportedly halted production multiple times this year. Smaller independent refineries, Ilsky in Krasnodar and Novoshakhtinsky in Rostov, have been operating at half capacity for months due to weak profit margins.

The struggling refineries, which are said to have sought financial support from the government, were also targeted in Ukrainian drone strikes this year. These disruptions have been compounded by the impact of Western sanctions, which force them to sell fuel at discounted rates.

“We expect that the actual [plant] closures may take place at the beginning of next year,” a source says.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4862641

The Netherlands' foreign minister, whose ministry oversees export restrictions on top computer chip equipment maker ASML, said on Monday that China-Russia trade was "directly affecting" European security.

NATO views China as a "decisive enabler" of Russia in its war against Ukraine, given that Chinese firms are selling goods that end up as components in Russian weapons, including drones, Caspar Veldkamp said before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

"I raised this twice with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and I think as Europeans we should all do this, because this is something that China should be realizing: it is directly affecting European security," Veldkamp said.

[...]

The Dutch government has rolled out a series of progressively tighter export restrictions preventing ASML from shipping its most advanced technology to Chinese chipmakers.

ASML dominates the market for lithography tools, which are essential for making the circuitry of computer chips.

Despite the restrictions, China has still been the largest market for ASML and other top U.S. and Japanese equipment makers over the past year and a half, as Chinese firms expand capacity to make older chips not covered by restrictions, but still adequate for many military purposes.

[...]

Veldkamp said he would discuss what to do about Chinese support for Russia with other EU foreign ministers on Monday.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4862641

The Netherlands' foreign minister, whose ministry oversees export restrictions on top computer chip equipment maker ASML, said on Monday that China-Russia trade was "directly affecting" European security.

NATO views China as a "decisive enabler" of Russia in its war against Ukraine, given that Chinese firms are selling goods that end up as components in Russian weapons, including drones, Caspar Veldkamp said before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

"I raised this twice with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and I think as Europeans we should all do this, because this is something that China should be realizing: it is directly affecting European security," Veldkamp said.

[...]

The Dutch government has rolled out a series of progressively tighter export restrictions preventing ASML from shipping its most advanced technology to Chinese chipmakers.

ASML dominates the market for lithography tools, which are essential for making the circuitry of computer chips.

Despite the restrictions, China has still been the largest market for ASML and other top U.S. and Japanese equipment makers over the past year and a half, as Chinese firms expand capacity to make older chips not covered by restrictions, but still adequate for many military purposes.

[...]

Veldkamp said he would discuss what to do about Chinese support for Russia with other EU foreign ministers on Monday.

[...]

The Netherlands' foreign minister, whose ministry oversees export restrictions on top computer chip equipment maker ASML, said on Monday that China-Russia trade was "directly affecting" European security.

NATO views China as a "decisive enabler" of Russia in its war against Ukraine, given that Chinese firms are selling goods that end up as components in Russian weapons, including drones, Caspar Veldkamp said before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

"I raised this twice with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and I think as Europeans we should all do this, because this is something that China should be realizing: it is directly affecting European security," Veldkamp said.

[...]

The Dutch government has rolled out a series of progressively tighter export restrictions preventing ASML from shipping its most advanced technology to Chinese chipmakers.

ASML dominates the market for lithography tools, which are essential for making the circuitry of computer chips.

Despite the restrictions, China has still been the largest market for ASML and other top U.S. and Japanese equipment makers over the past year and a half, as Chinese firms expand capacity to make older chips not covered by restrictions, but still adequate for many military purposes.

[...]

Veldkamp said he would discuss what to do about Chinese support for Russia with other EU foreign ministers on Monday.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4858721

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 17 condemned “false and unfounded statements” by Russia's newly appointed ambassador to Chisinau, Oleg Ozerov, following his comments on a Russian radio station.

[...]

In his interview, Ozerov claimed that Moldova’s economy depends heavily on Russian trade and suggested that EU accession undermines its neutrality. Moldova's foreign ministry refuted this, noting that over 65% of Moldova's exports go to the EU, compared to just 3.7% to Russia. Even Moldova’s breakaway Transnistrian region, which is backed by Russia, sends over 80% of its exports to EU markets.

[...]

The ministry criticised Russia for imposing politically motivated trade embargoes, contrasting this with the EU’s transparent trade rules. “EU countries are reliable partners for Moldova's agricultural goods, while Russia's embargoes have harmed local producers and families,” it said.

Addressing neutrality, the ministry highlighted Russia’s violation of Moldova's constitutional neutrality through its military presence in the Transnistrian region, maintained against Moldova’s will.

It dismissed the suggestion that EU membership compromises neutrality, citing Austria, Ireland and Malta as neutral EU member states.

[...]

[Molodova] urged Ozerov to adhere to the Vienna Convention and cease spreading propaganda, focusing instead on diplomatic norms and practical solutions to benefit citizens in both countries.

A fault has been discovered in a vital submarine fiber-optic telecom cable linking Finland and Germany. The outage is currently under investigation by the Finnish cyber security and network company Cinia, which is state-controlled.

Cinia reported that the services facilitated by the C-Lion1 cable are presently down due to the fault. Efforts are underway to identify the precise cause of this issue, affecting a key infrastructure component between the two countries.

The company's statement emphasized their commitment to quickly resolving the disruption to restore communication services back to operation

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 17 condemned “false and unfounded statements” by Russia's newly appointed ambassador to Chisinau, Oleg Ozerov, following his comments on a Russian radio station.

[...]

In his interview, Ozerov claimed that Moldova’s economy depends heavily on Russian trade and suggested that EU accession undermines its neutrality. Moldova's foreign ministry refuted this, noting that over 65% of Moldova's exports go to the EU, compared to just 3.7% to Russia. Even Moldova’s breakaway Transnistrian region, which is backed by Russia, sends over 80% of its exports to EU markets.

[...]

The ministry criticised Russia for imposing politically motivated trade embargoes, contrasting this with the EU’s transparent trade rules. “EU countries are reliable partners for Moldova's agricultural goods, while Russia's embargoes have harmed local producers and families,” it said.

Addressing neutrality, the ministry highlighted Russia’s violation of Moldova's constitutional neutrality through its military presence in the Transnistrian region, maintained against Moldova’s will.

It dismissed the suggestion that EU membership compromises neutrality, citing Austria, Ireland and Malta as neutral EU member states.

[...]

[Molodova] urged Ozerov to adhere to the Vienna Convention and cease spreading propaganda, focusing instead on diplomatic norms and practical solutions to benefit citizens in both countries.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4858540

A Russian spy ship has been escorted out of the Irish Sea after it entered Irish-controlled waters and patrolled an area containing critical energy and internet submarine pipelines and cables.

It was spotted on Thursday east of Dublin and south-west of the Isle of Man but Norwegian, US, French and British navy and air defence services initially observed it accompanying a Russian warship, the Admiral Golovko, through the English channel last weekend.

[...]

Its presence has raised fresh concerns about the security of the interconnector cables that run between Ireland and the UK carrying global internet traffic from huge datacentres operated by tech companies including Google and Microsoft, which have their EU headquarters sited in Ireland.

The sighting of the Russian intelligence ship came as British defence forces monitored other Russian vessels near its eastern coastal waters. On Thursday, British jets were also scrambled to monitor a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying close to UK airspace, the Ministry of Defence said.

[...]

A Russian spy ship has been escorted out of the Irish Sea after it entered Irish-controlled waters and patrolled an area containing critical energy and internet submarine pipelines and cables.

It was spotted on Thursday east of Dublin and south-west of the Isle of Man but Norwegian, US, French and British navy and air defence services initially observed it accompanying a Russian warship, the Admiral Golovko, through the English channel last weekend.

[...]

Its presence has raised fresh concerns about the security of the interconnector cables that run between Ireland and the UK carrying global internet traffic from huge datacentres operated by tech companies including Google and Microsoft, which have their EU headquarters sited in Ireland.

The sighting of the Russian intelligence ship came as British defence forces monitored other Russian vessels near its eastern coastal waters. On Thursday, British jets were also scrambled to monitor a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying close to UK airspace, the Ministry of Defence said.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4854819

Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who is currently the Green Party's chancellor candidate in the upcoming elections, said that if elected, he would send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked his allies for long-range weapons so that the Ukrainian military can attack Russian logistics centers and military bases far behind the front line and within Russian territory.

But until now, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has chosen not to supply Taurus cruise missiles, saying they could enable Ukraine to also hit targets in the Russian capital Moscow.

[...]

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the Russian air barrage on Ukraine, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin "does not want peace and is not ready to negotiate."

"It's clear that President Putin intends to intensify the fighting," Macron said.

He made the remarks as he prepared to leave Argentina to attend the G20 Summit in Brazil.

[...]

The French president, however, said Ukraine's allies "must remain united .... on an agenda for genuine peace, that is to say, a peace that does not mean Ukraine's surrender."

Macron highlighted that his country's priority was to "equip, support and help Ukraine to resist."

Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who is currently the Green Party's chancellor candidate in the upcoming elections, said that if elected, he would send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked his allies for long-range weapons so that the Ukrainian military can attack Russian logistics centers and military bases far behind the front line and within Russian territory.

But until now, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has chosen not to supply Taurus cruise missiles, saying they could enable Ukraine to also hit targets in the Russian capital Moscow.

[...]

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the Russian air barrage on Ukraine, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin "does not want peace and is not ready to negotiate."

"It's clear that President Putin intends to intensify the fighting," Macron said.

He made the remarks as he prepared to leave Argentina to attend the G20 Summit in Brazil.

[...]

The French president, however, said Ukraine's allies "must remain united .... on an agenda for genuine peace, that is to say, a peace that does not mean Ukraine's surrender."

Macron highlighted that his country's priority was to "equip, support and help Ukraine to resist."