Russia Monitor Monthly 7/23
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Poland will not sign another contract with Gazprom
In the article „Poland bets on Gdansk FSRU to meet projected demand”, published by Interfax Global Energy London office., Mr. Krzysztof Kamiński – Warsaw Institute President – gave his remarks regaring current situation in the natural gas market in Poland.
Nuclear Bombers over the Baltic. Russia Provoking Not Only NATO
Russian aviation does not reduce its activity in the Baltic Sea regularly alarming countries in the region. This mainly concerns Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia but the Russian activity troubles other countries, including neutral Finland and Sweden.
Romania Blocks Russian Military Supplies to Serbia
On Friday, July 26, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it blocked the transport of Russian tanks which took place through the territory of Romania on the Danube river. The transport contained thirty T-72B3 tanks and the same number of BRDM-2 tanks. Russia strongly denies and claims that military transports to Serbia take places by air and are realised within the bilateral military cooperation.
Moscow Protests: Putin Listened to Siloviki
In just a few days, a local row over the upcoming elections for the Moscow City Duma became what was called Russia’s most important political problem. But contrary to what some commentators believe, this recent turmoil does not act to the detriment of the regime. Much indicates that Russia’s authorities seem to have sought to escalate the Moscow crisis, or at least such was an intention of those who opt for a tightening course in domestic policy.
Weakest Link of Russian Armed Forces
Speaking at Russia’s Navy Day festivities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said nothing new: he stressed his country’s military power and declared further buildup. Attending the main celebrations in St. Petersburg, the Russian leader received the parade of warships. Large-class festivities were also held in other main ports in the country. But this overly optimistic image of Russian naval forces does not correspond with the reality. Russia’s navy shares its fate with other types of the state’s armed forces.
Macron-Putin Meeting: Russia Gains More Friends in EU
Bilateral ties between Paris and Moscow are now getting stronger than ever. The June meeting between French and Russian heads of government will be soon followed by a high-level visit to France by a Russian leader. French President Emmanuel Macron said that he will receive Vladimir Putin for talks at the Fort de Brégançon summer residency on August 19, a few days before hosting the G7 heads of state meeting in the French city of Biarritz.
Gazprom’s TurkStream Faces Delay On Bulgarian Section
Russia is now playing a strategy of constructing two energy pipelines – Nord Stream 2 in the north and Turkish Stream in the south – to bypass Ukraine while exporting gas supplies to the West. The pipeline was set to become operational after Russian-Ukraine gas transit deal expired in early 2020. But Bulgaria’s section of the natural gas pipeline extension into Europe may not kick off as initially scheduled, while Gazprom has recently encountered a major problem in the south, specifically in the Balkans.
Gas and Espionage: A Scar on Russia-Austria Ties
Austria has issued international arrest warrant for a Russian man named Igor Zaitsev. He is believed to be linked to the case against a retired Austrian military officer who was identified as a suspect who spied for Russia. Austria has ordered an arrest of a man to whom it referred as Russian military intelligence officer.
Novatek Seals Arctic LNG 2 Deal with Partners and Subcontractor
Russia’s largest private natural gas extractor and liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer Novatek has entrusted a new subcontractor with building gas liquefaction facilities for Arctic LNG 2, its second LNG project to be developed in the Arctic. The Russian company inked a $7.6 billion deal with TechnipFMC, a global leader in subsea, onshore/offshore, and surface projects.
Transneft Drags Its Feet Over Paying Druzhba Oil Compensation
Russia played on time before holding talks on compensating all losses incurred by crude recipients for contaminated oil flows injected into the Druzhba pipeline system. This reaction probably stems from a Russian internal clash between the country’s largest oil producer Rosneft and oil pipeline monopoly Transneft. The latter has recently made a unilateral decision to define the maximum compensation for tainted crude supplies.
Gazprom’s “Golden Thursday” on the Stock Market
For the second time in less than two months, Gazprom recorded a remarkable leap in value in one trading session. On July 25, the company’s shares on the Moscow Stock Exchange increased by 6 percent in a few hours, reaching nearly 300 billion roubles. This time, investors rushed to purchase Gazprom’s securities alarmed by speculation that unknown investors could buy a block of shares from subsidiaries of the concern.
Romania Needs Migrants From Outside the EU
The Romanian government plans to increase the quota of migrant workers coming from outside the EU from 20,000, which is the number planned for this year, to 30,000. This will be a 50% increase as compared to the previous year, in which 15,000 migrants from outside the EU community came to Romania. In 2018, the respective institutions issued over 10,000 work permits to non-EU migrants.
Moldova’s New Government’s Stance on Transnistria
Prime Minister of Moldova Maia Sandu appealed to the authorities in Tiraspol to lift the travel ban for the representatives of the Moldovan administration. To do so, she asked the representatives of the “5+2” negotiation format (a mediation group consisting of the two conflicting parties and Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, the EU and the United States) to support Moldova in settling this matter.
Russia’s Transneft and Rosneft Embroiled Again in “Crude Wars”
A row over the reasons for the Druzhba pipeline contamination crisis gave rise to an open conflict between Russia’s biggest crude producer and the country’s oil pipeline monopoly. But what was initially seen as nothing more than just leveling mutual accusations has gone beyond a typical business quarrel between two large firms.
Romania’s Kövesi One Step Away From Becoming EU Chief Prosecutor
From the very beginning, the former head of Romania’s anti-corruption agency, Laura Codruţa Kövesi has been the favourite in the race for the position of European Chief Prosecutor, which could simply be observed by the amount of support she received from EU officials, politicians as well as individual institutions. It turns out that France will also support the Romanian candidate, which, in practice, means that France’s own candidate will withdraw from the contest.
“Better Than Expected”: Remarks on Romania’s Presidency of the European Council
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said his country’s rotating presidency of the EU Council was “better than expected,” a remarkable comment that came from the incumbent head of state standing in opposition to Romania’s current government. During its six-month mandate, Romania closed 90 legislative dossiers that led to adopting new legislation. Romania’s presidency overlapped with the tough political period while its success will undoubtedly be helpful for the government before the next elections.
Last One Turns off the Light. What’s Next with Poland’s Energy Sector? – an account of the debate
On July 22, 2019, a discussion took place on Poland’s energy industry. The Warsaw Institute foundation was represented by Janusz Kowalski, an energy security expert.
Romania as the first destination of the Moldovan PM
Maia Sandu, on July 2, took her first foreign trip as the Prime Minister of Moldova to Bucharest. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that this visit was of symbolic significance for the Romanian-Moldovan relations. Moldovan PM thanked the Romanian government and society for selfless support for the European aspirations of Moldova.
Estonian War of Leaders: President Versus Deputy Prime Minister
The recent attacks of the liberal president on the national-conservative coalition party may lead to a political crisis in Estonia. Although it has been a few months, some Estonian politicians as well as large media platforms still have not come to terms with the fact that Eurosceptic EKRE forms the government. Now, they are using the liberal Western media to fight the right-wing party.
All power in the hands of Zelensky
Ukraine is officially a republic with a semi-presidential system. However, after the elections on July 21, one can say that this is a presidential republic. The scale of the Servant of the People party’s victory surprised even its founder, President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has the comfort of ruling which nobody in Ukraine has had since 1991. Now, it is time for the realisation of promises and satisfaction of high – and diverse – expectations of Ukrainians.
Warsaw Institute
