North Asia

Lithuania's Vilnius Airport resumed operations Thursday evening after being closed for over an hour because smugglers balloons appeared again on radar. This was according to the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre. The Baltic Republic closed its border crossings to Belarus last month in response to disruptions in airspace caused by weather balloons from Belarus. They reopened the crossings earlier on Thursday. In a press release, Inga Ruginiene's spokesperson said that if hybrid attacks continue to occur, border checkpoints could be closed. Lithuania said that smugglers were responsible for the balloons which caused airport closures in Lithuania. They blamed Belarus President...

Calculations and traders reported that the differentials between Russian Urals crude and other grades in Indian ports eased as a result of recent U.S. sanctions against Rosneft, Lukoil and Rosneft. The traders reported that spot discounts for Urals crude have widened from $4 per barrel on a DES-basis last week to $5 to $6 per barrel on an average to Brent dated on a DES-basis. Reliance Industries, India's largest refiner of crude oil, has ceased importing Russian crude into its Jamnagar complex in western Gujarat from November 20, its spokesperson announced on Thursday. PLATTS WINDOW There were no bids or...

The Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday that Poland had identified two individuals responsible for the explosion that occurred on a rail route leading to Ukraine. He added that these were Ukrainians that collaborated with Russian intelligence, and that they fled to Belarus. The explosion on the Warsaw-Lublin Line, which connects Poland's capital with the Ukrainian border, came after a wave arson, cyberattacks and sabotage in Poland and other European nations since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Warsaw said that Poland is now one of Moscow's main targets because it acts as a hub to aid Kyiv....

Rostec, a Russian state-owned conglomerate, said that on Tuesday its defence exports had fallen by half since the year 2022 due to domestic orders becoming a priority in light of the conflict in Ukraine. However, Rostec expects a recovery within upcoming months. Sergey Chemezov, Rostec's chief executive officer, told reporters that until 2022 Russia ranked second in the world in terms of defence exports after the United States. However the volume has dropped "because we had to supply the majority of our production to our own army". He said that sanctions have caused problems in both the civil and defense...

Last week, Ukraine attacked the port of Novorossiysk in Russia and forced it to suspend its oil exports. The Neptune rocket it used was one of many long-range weapons Ukraine developed since the invasion in 2022. According to Kyiv, here is a list of the new Ukrainian weapons. LONG NEPTUNE Ukraine claims its "Long Neptune", a land-attack cruise rocket with a maximum range of 1,000 km (621 mi), is produced domestically. The missile was developed using the Neptune antiship missile, which had a shorter range before the invasion. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Russia, announced in March that its range...

The oil prices dropped on Monday, wiping out the gains of last week, as loadings were resumed in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, which had been suspended for two days following an attack by Ukraine. Brent crude futures fell 53 cents or 0.82% to $63.86 per barrel at 0423 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures traded at $59.53 per barrel, down 56c or 0.93% since Friday's closing price. Both benchmarks gained more than 2% Friday, ending the week modestly after exports at Novorossiysk & a Caspian Pipeline Consortium Terminal in the neighbouring city were suspended. This affected the...

The oil prices dropped in the early Asian trading on Monday, wiping out the gains of last week, as loadings were resumed at Novorossiysk, the major Russian export hub, after a suspension of two days at the Black Sea Port that was hit by an attack from Ukraine. Brent crude futures fell 58 cents or 0.9% to $63.81 per barrel at 0050 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures traded at $59.50 per barrel, down by 59 cents or 1.0% since Friday's closing. The benchmarks both rose by more than 2% to close the week on a modest note. Exports...

The Moldovan energy minister announced on Friday that Lukoil Moldova has agreed to give the government of Moldova free access to its fuel terminal located at the airport in Chisinau. Energy Minister Dorin Junietu stated in a press release that the move was made to ensure stable airport operations when U.S. Sanctions against the Russian owned company come into effect later this month. The U.S. sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft were linked to the Russian war in Ukraine. The company is the only supplier of fuel to Eugen Doga Airport, Moldova's sole airport. Moldova's pro European authorities announced this week...

Port Alliance, a Russian group that operates a network for sea cargo terminals said Thursday that foreign hackers targeted its systems in three-day attacks, including a distributed denial-of service (DDoS), and a hacking attempt. In a press release, it said that key elements of its digital network had been targeted in order to disrupt exports of coal and mineral fertilizers at its sea terminals located in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea region, Far East, and Arctic regions. Port Alliance reported that the attack was successfully repulsed and that operations were not affected. The most basic web attack is the denial...

Three industry sources told Reuters that the Russian Orsknefteorgsintez refinery, which is a mid-sized refinery, was shut down due to an fire on November 10, a day before Ukrainian drones targeted it. According to one source, equipment caught on fire during Monday's upgrade work. Sources said that drones had attacked the plant on Tuesday, which is located 1,900 km (1,180 mi) east of Ukraine's border. The Ukrainian military has also confirmed that it hit the Russian oil refinery in Orsk, located in Orenburg Region, on Tuesday. Industry sources claim that the drone caused damage to some utility systems at the...

The airport director announced on Tuesday that talks are in progress between the Moldovan government and Russia's Lukoil about buying the energy company’s infrastructure at Chisinau Airport as part of an effort to implement U.S. Sanctions imposed last month. Serdgiu Spoiala stated that he did not see any risk of the airport running out of aviation fuel, after the government proposed to buy Lukoil’s facilities on Monday. The sanctions imposed by the United States on Lukoil and Rosneft were linked to the war that has lasted for more than three-and-a-half years in Ukraine. Currently, it is the only supplier of...

Two industry sources said on Tuesday that the Russian energy company Novatek had restored to full capacity its gas condensate facility at the Baltic Sea Port of Ust-Luga following repairs of damaged equipment caused by drone attacks in August. The fire was caused by Ukrainian drones on August 24. This led to the complete shutdown of the operation, including the fuel export loading. It is one of many disruptions in Russia's energy sector as Ukraine intensifies drone attacks during the ongoing conflict between the two neighbours. One source said that the daily processing of stable condensate (a type of lighter...

The U.S. Embassy Sarajevo released a statement Thursday on X that said U.S. officials and Bosnian officials had discussed ways to accelerate a long-delayed plan to build a gas pipeline to Croatia, which is seen as a possible alternative to Russian natural gas. In the statement, it was also stated that the officials agreed in principle to have U.S.-based partners lead the project. The lower house of the Bosniak and Croat Federation Parliament approved the project for the South Interconnection Gas Pipeline, which would bring natural gas from the liquefied gas terminal located on the Croatian Island of Krk to...

Nicola Canestrini, the lawyer for the Ukrainian suspect in the 2022 sabotage attempt on the Nord Stream pipeline, said that the top Italian court had approved the transfer of the man to Germany. Since he was arrested in Rimini, Italy, in August on an arrest warrant issued by the European Union, the suspect, who is only identified as Serhii in Germany, has fought attempts to have him transferred to Germany. The suspect will be handed over to German authorities within a few days after the Court of Cassation of Rome has made its decision. "However much I may be disappointed,...

Rosneft reduced its share in the Kurdistan Pipeline Company to less than half after talks meant to protect the subsidiary from U.S. Sanctions, an official of the Kurdistan Regional Government told the Kurdistan Regional Government on Wednesday. Last month, the U.S. sanctioned Rosneft, and Lukoil - Russia's largest oil companies - to put pressure on Vladimir Putin, Russian president, to end his war in Ukraine. The sanctions also apply to entities in which these companies own more than 50%. KPC operates Iraqi Kurdistan’s main oil pipeline that transports crude from north Iraq to its connection at the border with Iraq-Turkey...

Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, said that the country is considering filing a lawsuit against the EU for its plan to halt Russian gas deliveries in 2028 due to its war with Ukraine. Slovakia and Hungary are both highly critical of EU plans to phase out Russian oil and gas. Both countries still rely heavily on Moscow for their energy supplies and fear that alternative, more expensive sources will harm their economies. Fico has split ranks with the majority of Europe because of his pro-Moscow position. He said that he had given his ministers for economy, justice and...

Sources familiar with the matter say that Novatek, a Russian producer of liquefied natural gases, has reduced the price of its cargoes between 30% and 40% since August in order to encourage Chinese buyers to buy sanctioned gas produced by its Arctic LNG 2 Project. The purchase has ended the commercial limbo of the $21 billion project that is subject to the most severe sanctions the U.S., Europe and Russia have imposed against Russia. Washington wants to stop the flow of oil revenue into Kremlin bank accounts as U.S. president Donald Trump increases pressure on Moscow to end their war...

Four of the eight main opposition coalitions won seats in Georgia's Parliament just over a month ago. All but one of the eight leaders are either in prison, exiled or facing criminal charges. The ruling party wants to outright ban the main opposition groups. Many in the tiny South Caucasus nation of 3.7 millions have been shocked by the slide towards one-party rule. Georgia was a democratic country that appeared to be on the rise in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union. It seemed poised to join the EU, and escape Russia's influence. Brussels' assessment, however, says...

Four of the eight main opposition coalitions won seats in Georgia's Parliament just over a month ago. All but one of the eight leaders are either in prison, exiled or facing criminal charges. The ruling party wants to outright ban the main opposition groups. Many in the tiny South Caucasus nation of 3.7 millions have been shocked by the slide towards one-party rule. Georgia was a democratic country that appeared to be on the rise in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union. It seemed poised to join the EU, and escape Russia's influence. Brussels' assessment, however, says...

Five sources familiar with this process said on Monday that U.S. major oil company Chevron was examining options to purchase global assets from sanctioned Russian oil giant Lukoil. Last week, the U.S. Treasury cleared potential buyers to speak to Lukoil regarding foreign assets. Chevron will join Carlyle, and other firms to compete for Lukoil's portfolio of at least $20 billion. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil & Rosneft, in an effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to force Moscow to peace talks with Ukraine. Five sources confirmed that Chevron was looking at...

Two industry sources and LSEG data show that the Russian port of Novorossiysk resumed oil loadings Sunday, after a suspension lasting two days due to a Ukrainian drone and missile attack. Novorossiysk suspended oil exports on Friday, a move that equates to 2.2 millions barrels of oil per day or 2% global supply. Oil prices rose by over 2% globally on the back of supply concerns following the attack. According to two anonymous industry sources, loadings have resumed. According to LSEG, two tankers - the Suezmax Arlan and Aframax Rodos - are loading oil on the port's berths. Two oil...

Two industry sources and LSEG data show that the Russian port of Novorossiysk resumed oil loadings Sunday, after a suspension lasting two days due to a Ukrainian drone and missile attack. Novorossiysk temporarily halted oil exports on Friday, equating to 2.2 millions barrels of oil per day or 2% global supply. According to two anonymous industry sources, loadings have resumed. According to LSEG, two tankers - the Suezmax and Aframax classes Rodos - are loading oil on the port's berths. Two oil berths were damaged by a Ukrainian drone at the Russian Black Sea port Novorossiysk on Friday, which forced...

Azerbaijani figures showed that the country's oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi - Ceyhan pipeline dropped to 22.7 millions metric tons between January and October, a 5.9% drop from the previous year after the route had been contaminated with tainted crude oil. In July, organic chloride contamination was found in Azerbaijani BTC cargoes. This caused several days of delays in loading from Turkey's BTC Ceyhan Terminal. The BTC pipeline that runs through Georgia and Turkey is used by BP to export oil from its Azeri, Chirag, and Guneshli fields. According to Azerbaijan’s Statistics Committee, the total amount of oil transported through...

Two industry sources reported on Wednesday that the Caspian Pipeline Consortium exported oil from Kazakhstan to a Russian Black Sea Terminal in September, but last month, exports fell 13%, from 5.947 millions metric tons or 1.5 million barrels a day. Exports dropped due to maintenance work at Kazakhstan's biggest oilfield Tengiz operated by a Chevron affiliate. According to sources, the exports via CPC from January to October increased by 16% compared to the same period in the previous year to 61.453 millions tons. The CPC reduced its plan to pump oil this year from 76 millions tons to 74million tons...