Western nations allege Russia has been operating a “shadow fleet” to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports. The UK Ministry of Defence says Russia has a fleet of more than 700 vessels, responsible for carrying 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil. This oil is a “critical lifeline for the Kremlin” in “sustaining Russia’s
What the Kremlin had assumed in 2022 would be a short, successful “military operation” has become the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. Yet a confident President Putin continues to predict victory for Russia. “There will never be ‘victory’,” counters Dmitry Muratov. “Because what has been going on for nearly five years
Japan said it “strongly protests” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to a disputed island chain. Russian state media reported on Thursday that Putin visited Iturup – known in Japan as Etorofu – one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by both Russia and Japan. Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the
If you want to get an idea of the fuel crisis affecting Russia, all you need to do is spend a day driving around Moscow. At almost every gas station we passed there were lines of cars and trucks. Some lines were long, others short; some static, others moving constantly. If there was no line,
A resident inside Crimea told the BBC the situation there is “catastrophic” as Ukrainian drones attack oil refineries and power plants on the peninsula, as well as military targets. Attacks on Russian-annexed Crimea have increased significantly in recent weeks, in part to cut off supply lines to Russian troops attacking Ukraine from the south. Eastern