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☆ Nord Stream sabotage probe turns to clues inside Poland, Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 10 (Reuters) - German investigators are examining evidence suggesting a sabotage team used Poland as an operating base to damage the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The investigators have reconstructed the two-week voyage of the "Andromeda", a 50-foot (15-metre) yacht suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, the newspaper said. The Journal cited people familiar with the voyage as indicating the sabotage crew had placed deep-sea explosives on Nord Stream 1, before they set the vessel on a course towards Poland. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines hastened the region's switch to other energy suppliers. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany.

Persons: Stanislaw Zaryn, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Shivani Tanna, Karol Badohal, William Mallard, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Wall Street, Germany's Federal Criminal Police, Polish, Special Services, Twitter, Nord, Gazprom, Washington Post, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Poland, Baltic, Germany, Germany's, Russian, Warsaw, Kiev, Ukraine, Nord, Sweden, Denmark, Ukrainian, Bengaluru

☆ Fact Check-Image shows fire at Moscow oil refinery, predates Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image from 2018 of a fire at an oil refinery owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft is being reshared online to falsely suggest it shows a blaze in 2023 at a Moscow factory that makes fighter jet engines. “The Chernyshev factory in Moscow, which produces engines for MiG-29 fighter jets, has been in fire since this morning. However, Reuters traced the image back to November 2018 when it was shared in Russian reports about a fire at a Gazprom Neft oil refinery in Moscow’s Kapotnya district (here), (here), (here). According to Russian news reports citing Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, the May 12 fire happened in Moscow’s Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo district at a factory that produces MiG aircraft engines here), (here), (here). The image can be traced back to 2018 when it was shared in reports about an oil refinery fire.

Persons: ”, Moscow’s, Read Organizations: Gazprom Neft, MiG, Facebook, Reuters, Gazprom, Russia’s Ministry Locations: Moscow, Moscow’s Kapotnya, Streshnevo

☆ International Boxing Association to be stripped of recognition - IOC
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 7 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee executive board on Wednesday recommended withdrawing recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) over its failure to meet a set of reforms, the Olympic body said in a statement. "The report establishes that the IBA has failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC... for lifting the suspension of the IBA’s recognition." In an IBA report sent to the IOC recently, the association blamed the Olympic body for intransigence and false statements. The Swiss Boxing Federation last week became the latest national ruling body of the sport to leave IBA and join the rival boxing organisation. The newly formed boxing body includes the United States and Britain as well as New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, who joined the Swiss-registered World Boxing in April.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Karolos Grohmann, Gareth Jones, Ed Osmond Organizations: Olympic Committee, International Boxing Association, IOC, Olympic Games, IBA, Tokyo, Gazprom, Swiss Boxing Federation, Swiss, Boxing, Thomson Locations: Los, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden

☆ IBA wants boxing in Olympics but will not be run by third parties - Kremlev
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PARIS, June 6 (Reuters) - Boxing must stay in the Olympic Games and the International Boxing Association (IBA) will do everything for it to happen but the sport also wants respect and will not be run by third parties, IBA President Umar Kremlev said. "The current crisis situation and the past scandals were all situations created by the member of the IOC, Mr CK Wu." The IOC has not sanctioned CK Wu, who in 2020 resigned from the Olympic body citing medical reasons. According to the IBA report, repeated efforts by IBA officials to meet with IOC officials were ignored. We would like the IOC to also achieve this principle of becoming the home of the Olympic movement," Kremlev said.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Kremlev, Thomas Bach, CK Wu, Wu, Taiwan's Wu, Karolos Grohmann, Ken Ferris Organizations: Olympic Games, International Boxing Association, Reuters, IBA, IOC, AIBA, CK, Gazprom, Thomson Locations: Los, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

☆ Exclusive: Olympics-IBA says has met reform criteria, accuses IOC of intransigence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PARIS, June 5 (Reuters) - With boxing teetering on the brink of Olympic elimination, the International Boxing Association (IBA) told the International Olympic Committee it had met its reform criteria and any ban lacked legal basis. "IBA did its best to eliminate IOC’s concern on IBA’s different areas of work and to improve them, such as finances, governance and sports integrity," the IBA report said. "It is necessary to remind that CK Wu at that time was an IOC member, and it is completely wrong that IBA bears full responsibility for the wrongdoings of the IOC member," the IBA said. "The IOC surpassed IBA completely and contacted the officials without prior agreement of data sharing between the two entities." "Withdrawal of the IBA’s full recognition by the IOC will be not justified, fair and legally correct decision," it said.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, CK Wu, Karolos, Christian Radnedge Organizations: International Boxing Association, International Olympic, IOC, Reuters, IBA, Paris, Gazprom, International Federation, Olympic Games, Thomson Locations: Los, India, Ukraine, Paris

☆ Gazprom to send 40.3 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Saturday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW, June 3 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) will send 40.3 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Saturday, the company said, down from 40.6 mcm on Friday. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mark Potter Organizations: Gazprom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Europe, Ukraine

The logo of Russia’s state gas company Gazprom was emblazoned on the shirts of players at the soccer club Toennies chaired. In Germany, Toennies’ story is far from unique. At the centre of Gazprom’s influence campaign was Schalke 04, the soccer club Toennies chaired at the time and which Gazprom began sponsoring in 2006. Russian gas imports have dropped dramatically and Germany is supplying tanks and other weapons systems to Ukraine. In 2001 Toennies assumed another of his older brother’s roles – chairman of soccer club Schalke 04.

Persons: Clemens Toennies, Vladimir Putin, Toennies, Willy Brandt, ”, Putin, Sberbank, Angela Merkel, “, ” Merkel, Bernd, Clemens, Putin’s, Alexei Gromov, Gromov, Gerhard Schroeder, Schroeder Organizations: Gazprom, Toennies, Schalke, Gazprom’s, Reuters, Miele, Volkswagen, Deutsche Telekom, ” Schalke, Chelsea, Kremlin, Former Locations: WIEDENBRUECK, Germany, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Berlin, Russians, Crimea, Gazprom, Rheda, German, Europe, Nord Stream, Dresden

☆ Russian energy giant Gazprom's private security force was deployed to fight in Ukraine, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gazprom's private security companies have forces fighting in the Ukraine war, the Wall Street Journal said. According to the Wall Street Journal, it is actively helping provide manpower to the frontlines of Russia's war on Ukraine. But interest in private security groups is growing in Russia, with other mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine. This includes recruits from former security contractor Redut, and from Patriot, an established private security force. Meanwhile, Gazprom has had a difficult year in energy markets, as the Ukraine war led to Western sanctions and restricted trade.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, That's Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Gazprom, Service, Wall Street, Kremlin, Defense Ministry, WSJ, Gazprom didn't, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russia

☆ Polish president signs 'Tusk Law' on undue Russian influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Opposition figures have nicknamed it Lex Tusk, using the Latin word for law. "In a normal democratic country, somebody who is president of that country would never sign such a Stalin-esque law," PO lawmaker Marcin Kierwinski told private broadcaster TVN 24. CONCERNSThe Polish Judges' Association Iustitia said the law breached European Union values and could prompt more punitive EU measures over democratic backsliding in Poland. Poland's dependence on Russian energy has progressively declined, even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, allowing the import of non-Russian gas, started when Tusk was in power.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, who advises President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, also urged allies not to fear that a tougher sanctions clampdown could drive some countries closer to Russia, describing such a worry as overblown. He was speaking in an interview from Kyiv as world leaders meet to discuss new sanctions measures and how to prevent Russia and companies in third countries from circumventing sanctions imposed after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year. “We are grateful for all the support we have received from our allies and we have seen some positive signals on the latest sanctions packages under consideration," Vlasiuk said. Tinkoff and Rosselkhozbank have already been excluded from the SWIFT global payments system, but other banks have been subjected to full blocking sanctions. “Russian banks who provide financial services to Russian soldiers fighting an unlawful war of aggression on Ukrainian soil should face the toughest possible sanctions from our allies," Vlasiuk said.

☆ Greenpeace to shut down in Russia after being declared 'undesirable organisation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, May 19 (Reuters) - The Russian branch of environmental group Greenpeace on Friday said it would shut down after authorities declared the group an "undesirable organisation", effectively banning it from operating. The label "undesirable" has been applied to dozens of foreign groups since Moscow began using the classification in 2015, and effectively bans an organisation outright. "This decision makes it illegal for any Greenpeace activity to continue in Russia. Therefore, the Russian branch of Greenpeace is forced to close," Greenpeace Russia said in a statement posted on Telegram. Later, Russia chief executive Sergei Tsyplenkov said he would take legal advice before deciding whether to appeal the ruling.

While paying bonuses at bailed-out energy groups raises questions around the use of taxpayers' money, it also highlights the need for the companies to remain competitive. One of the sources said 200 of Sefe's traders in London had received hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, adding mid-level traders had received $5 million-$7 million each. Two of the other people said that generous subsidies had been paid at both Sefe and Uniper. Uniper confirmed that bonuses were paid to trading staff for 2022 but below the level of the previous year. The Finance Ministry, which is responsible for the government's ownership of Uniper, also referred questions on operating issues including staff remuneration to the company.

☆ Head of Russia's crime agency suggests nationalising key parts of economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 13 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's federal crime agency on Saturday suggested that key sectors of the economy should be returned to state ownership to support Moscow's war in Ukraine. "Let's go along the path of nationalising the main sectors of our economy." Russia's economy and government coffers rely heavily on production of oil, gas and metals. Gazprom (GAZP.MM), Russia's largest natural gas producer, is already controlled by the state. Its largest oil company, Rosneft (ROSN.MM), is not formally under government control but is headed by Igor Sechin, a long-standing ally of Putin.

☆ Vast China-Russia resources trade shifts to yuan from dollars in Ukraine fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Chen Aizhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Model of natural gas pipeline, Russian and Chinese flags and Yuan and Rouble banknotes are seen in this llustration taken, September 7, 2022. "For now, and for the foreseeable next few years, I think the trade using RMB will predominantly be used for commodity and energy trade." Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that two-thirds of trade between Beijing and Moscow is now settled in roubles or yuan. Surging commodity imports pushed China's trade deficit with Russia to $38 billion last year, although the gap has narrowed in the first four months of 2023. Gazprom, which said last September it had agreed with CNPC to settle gas trade in roubles and yuan, did not respond to requests for comment.

☆ Exclusive: Oilfield firm SLB retrenches as Russia sanctions squeeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Liz Hampton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While SLB wasn't in breach of sanctions, the decision has triggered a backlash from employees and human rights groups. Reuters was unable to establish why SLB implemented new restrictions on its Russian business. Earlier this year, the U.S. expanded sanctions on Russia, including some targeting its mining and metals sector. Both last year also restricted financial transactions with Russia and placed export restrictions on certain energy equipment, technology and services. "Any new Global SLB Group-wide systems/applications should not be connected to or accessible by Russia," SLB told employees in a late-March memo viewed by Reuters.

Under the terms of the agreement, up to $4 billion in Turkish energy payments to Russia may be postponed until next year, both sources told Reuters under condition of anonymity. Turkey, which is preparing for elections on Sunday, depends heavily on energy imports and Russia is its largest supplier. The source said Turkey could push back further such payments in the coming months depending on the course of energy prices. The Russian and Turkish energy ministries, and their respective energy companies Gazprom and Botas, have not responded to requests for comment on the issue. Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said last week that Turkey and Moscow agreed a deal allowing Ankara to defer energy payments up to a certain amount, but did not give details.

☆ Russian oil producer sets self-driving trucks to work on Arctic tundra
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, May 5 (Reuters) - Driverless trucks produced by Russia's Kamaz (KMAZ.MM) have begun to carry cargoes across the snowy Arctic tundra for oil producer Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM), the energy company said on Friday. Gazprom Neft said the trucks will service the Vostochno-Messoyakhskoye oilfield in the Gydan peninsula. Companies across the globe have poured billions of dollars into developing the driverless technology they say will increase road safety and alleviate truck driver shortages. Gazprom Neft is one of Russia's leading oil producers in terms of use of advanced technologies, including in tapping hard-to-recover oil. Kamaz also plans to use driverless trucks along the busy road between Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia's two largest cities.

☆ There's big problems with the way the Kremlin drone incident went down, and war experts say Russia 'likely staged' it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

However, a US think tank has said it was "likely" a Russian false flag operation. As military experts told Insider, many details of the incident — and ultimate responsibility for it — remain unconfirmed as of Thursday. The think tank pointed to geolocated images of Russia installing advanced Pantsir surface-to-air missile defense systems around Moscow earlier this year. The Russian defense ministry is also working to further bolster these capabilities by year-end. The Russian Defense and Foreign Ministries did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Details in the drone incident the Kremlin says aimed to assassinate Putin 'don't quite add up.' Experts have 3 theories on what happened.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Sophia Ankel | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Russia claimed Wednesday that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin with a drone attack at the Kremlin. James Patton Rogers, a military historian and adviser to NATO on drones and warfare, said that "there's a few things that don't quite add up in this situation." Its ability to fly comparatively low, and slowly, would potentially help it evade some radar, Patton Rogers said. Claiming that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin would potentially "open up a new norm in the war," Patton Rogers said. Patton Rogers said he hasn't "seen any indication" that such groups have the capacity to use drones in their attacks.

☆ For the first time since it invaded Ukraine, Russia is expected to start buying Chinese yuan again to replenish its foreign reserves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia is likely to start buying Chinese yuan to replenish its FX reserves as soon as May 2023, per Bloomberg Economics. This would be the first time Russia has replenished its FX reserves since it invaded Ukraine. The move indicates that Western sanctions and a G7-led price cap on Russian crude aren't enough to curb Russia's energy revenues. Russia stopped buying foreign currency in late January 2022 due to market volatility, shortly before it invaded Ukraine. US crude oil futures are down 5.8% so far this year to around $76 a barrel, but are up nearly 14% from this year's low of around $67 a barrel.

May 1 (Reuters) - International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlev blasted the national federations who broke away from the body to form a new world boxing federation, describing the officials as 'black sheep' and 'hyenas' who do not belong in sport. But Russian Kremlev, who is in Tashkent for the IBA men's world championships, said the IBA is the only international association that governs the sport. Someone tried to register an international association from their garage, why should we even consider them," Kremlev told a news conference. "We did not terminate the (Gazprom) contract as there were obligations to complete... Most federations were against Gazprom being sponsor, but at the (IBA) Congress there were no objections."

☆ Russia's energy dominance is fading with pipeline gas exports reportedly set to fall by 50% this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's pipeline gas exports are set to halve this year, according to a report from a Kremlin-affiliated news outlet. Those losses are largely due to Russia slashing pipeline gas flows to Europe last year in retaliation for sanctions. Government forecasters predicted the Russia's pipeline gas exports could halve in 2023, the Kremlin-affiliated Russian news outlet Izvestia reported on Thursday. That will pile on to hefty losses Russia's gas industry already weathered in 2022, with state-owned Gazprom reporting the lowest volume of gas exports last year since the start of the century. Russia's oil and gas revenue crashed nearly 50% in January of this year alone, according to estimates from Russia's finance ministry.

☆ Factbox: Italy's govt nominees for top jobs at Enel, Eni, Terna
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Their appointments will need to be approved by investors at meetings scheduled for May 9 for Terna, and May 10 for both Enel and Eni. ENEL (ENEI.MI)Flavio Cattaneo, 59, is an experienced manager and entrepreneur who will leave his role as vice president of high-speed train operator Italo to succeed current Enel CEO Francesco Starace. Becoming Enel chairman would be for him a return to the utility where he served as CEO between 2002 and 2005. Scaroni also served as chief executive of energy group Eni between 2005 and 2014. ENI (ENI.MI)The Treasury proposed CEO Claudio Descalzi for a fourth term and picked Giuseppe Zafarana, 59, as chairman for the energy group.

☆ After 18 years, Europe's largest nuclear reactor starts regular output
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new reactor is expected to produce for at least 60 years, TVO said in a statement on Sunday after completing the transition from testing to regular output. "The production of Olkiluoto 3 stabilises the price of electricity and plays an important role in the Finnish green transition," TVO Chief Executive Jarmo Tanhua said in the statement. Construction of the 1.6 gigawatt (GW) reactor, Finland's first new nuclear plant in more than four decades and Europe's first in 16 years, began in 2005. Russian state export monopoly Gazprom shortly after ended shipments of natural gas to the Nordic nation. Reporting by Essi Lehto; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ After 18 years, Europe's largest nuclear reactor to start regular output on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HELSINKI, April 15 (Reuters) - Finland's much-delayed Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor, Europe's largest, will begin regular output on Sunday, its operator said on Saturday, boosting energy security in a region to which Russia has cut gas and power supplies. Construction of the 1.6 gigawatt (GW) reactor, Finland's first new nuclear plant in more than four decades and Europe's first in 16 years, began in 2005. The plant was originally due to open four years later, but was plagued by technical issues. As a result of the startup, analysts have said Finland, the only Nordic country with a large power deficit, can expect lower electricity costs. Reporting by Essi Lehto; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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