Russia Monitor Articles
China Gets First Oil Cargo from Russia’s Arctic
For the first time in history, Russia’s Arctic oil volumes have been delivered to the Asian market in a rare trade shipment on the Northern Sea Route. Lukoil’s trading arm, Litasco, sold the cargo of 100,000 tonnes of Varandey Blend oil to Chinaoil, the trading branch of state-owned CNPC. The delivery was made by the tanker Korolev Prospect in mid-September.
Rostec CEO Chemezov Gathers Steam
CEO of Russia’s state hi-tech corporation Rostec Sergey Chemezov has been awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation medal. He has been handed out the highest state awards by President Vladimir Putin for his “outstanding contribution to the development od the defense and industrial conglomerate and raising the country’s defense capabilities.”
Putin Introduces Personnel Shifts in Law Enforcement Agencies
Under a presidential decree, Vladimir Putin made a number of personnel reshuffles amongst senior officials who held top positions in the Investigate Committee, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN of Russia). Several officials and officers have been relieved from their duties, while some of their colleagues were transferred to other positions.
Belarus Merges Oil Firms That Operate Druzhba Pipeline
Starting from October 1, the Belarusian leg of the Druzhba oil pipeline will be handled by one company instead of two, as before. This step was taken to economize operator-related processes and push ahead stricter control of the oil pipeline, a top-priority answer after the Druzhba contamination incident in April. Merging two operators into one may lay the groundwork for talks to restore oil shipments to the Baltics.
Russian Military Personnel in Mozambique: Bringing Another African Nation Closer to Moscow
According to unofficial reports that have been on since mid-September, Russian military personnel has been deployed to a few of Mozambique’s naval ports, a step that might have been taken in the wake of a batch of deals inked by Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi during his August visit to Moscow. Mozambique is yet another African country where Russia has been looking to push forward its economic and military presence.
Putin Meets China’s Parliament Chairman in the Kremlin
On September 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin received for talks Li Zhanshu who serves as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China.
Ways to Keep Putin in Power
A new voice in favor of changing Russia’s constitution. This time, in a press interview, this idea was supported by Sergey Chemezov. The head of Rostec, a state-owned mega-corporation, and Putin’s former KGB comrade, is considered to belong to a close circle of the president’s co-workers and friends. His statement means that the subject of constitutional changes that could keep Putin in power is still being discussed at the top governmental levels. The speech of Chemezov, previously unknown for such actions, also signalizes a possible conflict escalation between various interest groups in Putin’s environment.
In the Kremlin, Venezuela’s Maduro Gets Russia’s Full Support
There is no question that Russia will neither reduce nor halt its support for Venezuela. Quite the contrary, in fact – the more sanctions are being introduced by the United States and the European Union, the stronger is Russia’s involvement in supporting Maduro’s regime.
Rosneft and Transneft Continue to Clash over Oil Quality
A new factor has emerged in an ongoing dispute that sparked in front of the domestic and international audience between Rosneft’s Igor Sechin and Transneft’s Nikolay Tokarev in the wake of the Druzhba oil pipeline failure in April this year. Both companies have been at loggerheads over the quality of oil that runs through a Rosneft-owned refinery via Transneft’s pipeline system.
Missiles, Bases and Drills: Russia Flexes Military Muscles in the Arctic
Within the past two months, Russia has deployed new missiles systems on the territory of the Kola Peninsula. This comes as yet another stage of the country’s military build-up in the Arctic, a step that raises concern mainly in Norway. Russia keeps expanding its military infrastructure also east of the Kola Peninsula.
Rosneft’s Sechin: Oil Cluster in the Arctic Only With State Aid
The head of Russia’s biggest oil company has no intention to give up in his fight for tax incentives for creating a vast oil cluster in the Arctic. For Igor Sechin, this is to become a vital source of crude for maritime transport via the Northern Sea Route. But the total costs of the project are sky high, and Sechin expects that all companies involved in its implementation will be granted tax exemptions. The problem is that the finance minister has said no to these plans. So as usual, Sechin is trying to sort the things out at the top political level, and he has sent a letter to Vladimir Putin.
Putin Orders Gas Link Between Yamal and China
The Kremlin is consistently leaning towards boosting cooperation with China while making efforts to build, along with its Chinese ally, the Moscow-Beijing anti-U.S. axis. What stands out as the top assets are hydrocarbon resources that Russia seeks to export in large amounts to the Middle Kingdom, though such a business is less economically viable than trading gas to the European market. It cannot be ruled out Moscow’s gas tilt towards Asia is to some extent triggered by fears over mounting competition from U.S.-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG).
U.S. Warns Sechin’s Firm over Trading Venezuelan Oil
The activity of Russia’s state-run oil firm Rosneft on Venezuelan soil is a matter of mounting concern for the U.S. administration. U.S. Special Envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said Washington could impose sanctions against Igor Sechin’s company over its alleged assistance for the Nicolas Maduro-led regime. Following the withdrawal of other oil importers from the Venezuelan market, Russia’s Rosneft is for Venezuela the last-ditch solution.
Putin’s Envoy Meets Taliban After U.S. Talks Collapse
Russia has long made efforts to narrow down, or to derail Western, and chiefly the U.S., military troop presence in Afghanistan. Moscow’s top goal in Afghanistan consists in becoming a key mediator in the Afghan civil war and securing dominant influence in Kabul. It is therefore vital to eye the Taliban as Russia’s allies in its fight against what is called the Islamic State on Afghan soil.
Warsaw Institute
