Russia Monitor Articles
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Makes A New Offer
Russia does not want a new round of talks on Ukraine and NATO. Nonetheless, after some harsh statements from Russian officials and Moscow’s belligerent actions, including its military dispatch to Belarus, Russia is now mitigating its recent demands. This is evidenced by the statement from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who said what would satisfy Moscow in its negotiations on NATO and Ukraine.
Moldova Again On The Brink Of New Gas Shortage
Moldova’s gas distribution company, Moldovagaz, says it has paid Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom for natural gas supplied in December 2021. By January 20, 2022, the company has to make a down payment for this month’s gas bill. But the price of Russian gas has risen since the beginning of this year, making Moldova unable to pay its commodity bill and forcing the country to ask Gazprom for an extension. If no agreement is reached, Russia may again cut off its gas supplies to Moldova.
Is Revival Of Normandy Format Possible?
Talks in the Normandy format, which brings together Ukrainian, Russian, German, and French officials to help end the conflict in Donbas, have stalled. It is painful for Moscow whose top officials expected that Berlin and Paris would force Kyiv into putting the Minsk agreements into practice. As the Kremlin is seeking to turn to Washington to solve the problem, Ukraine is looking for some balance, highlighting the importance of the Normandy format. What poses a bigger threat to Kyiv is a pile of potential concessions from the Joe Biden administration.
Russia Cripples NATO’s Undersea Communications
One of two undersea fiberoptic cables which provide vital internet connection and communications links between mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean was put out of action on January 7. The new chief of the UK defense staff told Russia any attempt by submarines at damage would be treated as act of war. In recent months, Russian vessels have been active close to cables linking the United States and Europe.
Russia Pushes Ukraine “Red Lines”
Failed diplomatic talks with NATO and the United States did not mitigate Moscow’s belligerent stance. The Kremlin keeps escalating tensions instead. The Russians are scrambling pieces of military hardware, including its Iskander missile launchers, from Siberia westwards, while demanding the West not to deploy weapons to Ukraine.
Threat Of Russian Military Invasion Of Ukraine Remains High
A recent round of diplomatic talks did not influence the military. While in talks with the United States and NATO, Russia kicked off military drills near the Ukrainian border. Western and Ukrainian officials still believe that the threat of war remains high, especially after the failed talks in Geneva, Brussels, and Vienna.
Russian Forces Begin Apparent Kazakhstan Withdrawal
Russian-led forces have begun their gradual withdrawal from Kazakhstan, the Russian defense ministry informed. No details are known how long the pullout will take and whether any Russian troops will stay in Kazakhstan. Importantly, Moscow and ex-Soviet nations deployed more than 2,000 to help Kazakh officials not to stop the revolution, but to consolidate Tokayev’s grip on power against people close to Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Geneva Talks Did Not Minimize Risk Of War
A meeting of top U.S. and Russian diplomats has not produced any tangible results. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov were tasked with outlining proposals and expectations. Nonetheless, what both said after the meeting could hint at some future conclusions.
Russian Troops Arrive In Kazakhstan
It is not only about deploying hundreds of Russian military personnel to Kazakhstan, but a great deal of political support the Kremlin threw to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Kazakh president will pay for it later. In consequence, Kazakhstan is becoming a Russian vassal, being no longer its independent ally.
Russia-West Talks: Brokering An Unlikely Deal
What Western and Russian officials say just before a round of talks in Geneva, Brussels, and Vienna highlights the firm positions of the two sides. The talks seem unlikely to bring a breakthrough so Russia is likely to push on Ukraine every harder than now. The latest statements by the Russian deputy foreign minister show that Moscow is ready for the fiasco and is thus upping the ante beforehand.
Lukashenko, Putin Discuss Military In Russia
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko met in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of an informal CIS summit, a meeting that confirms Moscow’s growing appetite to integrate its military with Belarus as soon as possible. Belarus is growing in importance for Russia amid mounting tensions with the North Atlantic Alliance and a tug-of-war in Ukraine.
Russia Boasts of New S-550 Missile System Capable of Targeting Satellites
Russia has successfully tested the S-550 air defense system, Russian military sources reported on December 28. The new system is derived from the S-500 Prometheus but will be capable of hitting ICBMs and satellites. It is another step toward building a Russian offensive space capacity that is dangerous to U.S. items orbiting around the Earth.
Hypersonic Weapons and Nuclear-Powered Vessels: A Russian Demonstration of Power?
An inherent part of the Russian policy is to convince the world of its military might. This explains why Moscow has recently hailed multiple launch tests or some hand-over ceremonies, especially amid smoldering tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine and NATO’s posture in Central and Eastern Europe.
Rosneft Approves New Strategy By 2030
The board of directors at Rosneft approved the new strategy “Rosneft-2030: Reliable Energy and Global Energy Transition.” It targets reduction of greenhouse gas emissions while further improving the operational and financial efficiency of the company.
Warsaw Institute
