Europe

Blinken: Nord Stream leaks won't affect European energy The US received preliminary information that the Nord Stream leaks could be the result of sabotage, but Washington has not yet confirmed this, said the US Secretary of State

Anthony Blinken

Leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines will not affect the energy sustainability of Europe, the US and allies “work day by day” over the solution of the problem of energy security of the EU. This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, reports Bloomberg.

“There are initial reports indicating that this may be the result of an attack or some kind of sabotage, but these are initial reports and we have not yet confirmed this,” Blinken said during a press conference.

He pointed out that such actions are not in anyone's interests.

The White House also said that the United States is ready to provide support to European partners investigating the incident, reports Reuters.

Thus, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Washington would not “guess” on the causes of the leak on the Nord Stream gas pipelines; and Nord Stream 2.

The operator Nord Stream AG recorded a pressure drop in both Nord Stream 1 lines, as well as in one of the Nord Stream 1 lines. “Nord Stream-2” (they run almost parallel) 26 September. In the Nord Stream 2 pipeline a hole was discovered.

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The Danish Maritime Authority has reported a gas leak in the Baltic Sea near the island of Bornholm, which belongs to Denmark and is located near Sweden. Seismologists in Denmark and Sweden recorded powerful explosions in areas where there were leaks from the gas pipeline.

The next day, the operator Nord Stream AG called the destruction of the gas pipeline “unprecedented”; and noted that the timing of the resumption of infrastructure work cannot yet be estimated.

A number of European countries have already regarded what happened as “gross sabotage”. Thus, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the incident a sabotage that could lead to a further “escalation of the situation we are dealing with in Ukraine.”

Swedish police issued a protocol after the leaks, qualifying the crime as ” ;gross sabotage».

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President Putin: Europe can lift sanctions on Nord Stream 2 to solve the crisis

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Russia is not the cause of the energy crisis in Europe, European countries, in order to overcome it, can, in particular, lift sanctions from the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, President Vladimir Putin said at the press conference following the SCO summit, RBC correspondent reports.

“In the end, if it’s impatient, if everything is so difficult, take and lift the sanctions on Nord Stream 2. 55 bcm m by year— just press the button, and everything went, & mdash; said the Russian leader.

“The energy crisis in Europe did not start with the start of a special military operation in Ukraine <…> It started with a green agenda»,— added by the president.

Speaking of the EC decision to lift sanctions on Russian fertilizers, Putin called it “unprecedented, ugly” and shameful, since it affected only EU countries. In addition, sanctions on freight and port calls continue to apply, he said. “EU food rhetoric” bluff to solve his own problems, — says the president.

After Moscow recognized the independence of the DPR and LPR in February, the German authorities decided to suspend the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. On February 23, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG and CEO Matthias Warnig. They were included in the SDN sanctions list, which provides for the blocking of assets and isolation from the dollar system.

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In the summer, Gazprom began to reduce the flow of gas through the Nord Stream, explaining this by problems with the return of the turbine from Canada, where it was being repaired. The engine is stuck there because of the sanctions of this country. Subsequently, the Canadian side agreed to deliver the turbine through Germany, but it never reached Russia. At Gazprom They explained that sending the engine to Germany “does not comply with the terms of the contract.” In Europe, Moscow's decision was considered political.

In early September, the Russian side completely stopped supplying gas, explaining this decision by the threat of an explosion due to an oil leak on the remaining turbine. In Europe, they considered the possibility of introducing a price ceiling for Russian fuel, but the countries could not agree on this norm. Putin, commenting on this initiative, threatened to cut off oil and gas.

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Vladimir Putin

Politician, President of Russia

October 7, 1952

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The former head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry criticized the European policy of the last 20 years and said that due to the leadership of ideas about renewable energy, the market turned out to be “very skewed”

< img class="aligncenter" src="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/0/05/756628577830050.jpg" alt="Kneissl called "liberalization" the cause of the energy crisis in Europe" />< /p> Karin Kneissl

The crisis in the electric power industry in Europe began in 2021 and is a consequence of the liberal reforms of the last 15-18 years. This was stated in an interview with TASS by former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl.

“We had a crisis in the electric power industry even before the gas crisis began. This is the result of liberalization over the past 15-18 years, we have been experiencing it since April 2021, that is, for more than a year. <…> In general, this is a situation that we ourselves provoked, — she said.

Kneissl noted that the electricity market in Europe now operates “according to some incomprehensible principles”; and is not a classic supply and demand market. “He was steered towards renewable energy about 18 years ago. It turned out that the market turned out to be very skewed, & mdash; the ex-minister continued.— I do not want to go into technical details, but the fact is that the electricity market, despite the role of renewable energy sources, is still highly dependent on the price of gas. Even when electricity is generated more from renewable sources.

She recalled that after April 2021, electricity prices increased by 30-40%, and now the growth reaches 400%, as a result of which households are in decline. “For industries, for the industry, the situation is even worse. Now there is already a movement in the UK— it's not the EU, but it might spread further,— when people simply boycott their electricity bills. So we had an electricity crisis even before the gas crisis,— added the ex-head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

Kneisl headed the Austrian Foreign Ministry in 2017-2019 under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. In 2018, she married Wolfgang Meilinger, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the wedding. He stayed at the event for about an hour. In particular, during this time he danced with the bride. In June 2021, Kneisl joined the board of directors of Rosneft. as an independent director, but left that post less than a year later. In August of this year, she spoke about moving to Lebanon because of the threats she received.

The energy crisis in the EU has intensified against the backdrop of Western sanctions against Russia due to a special operation in Ukraine— restrictions affected the energy sector. This was followed by a decline, and later a complete cessation of Nord Stream traffic, rising prices for gas, oil and electricity, and record inflation. The situation in the European economy is complicated by severe drought in the central and southern parts of the region.

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In response to Western restrictive measures, Moscow transferred gas payments for unfriendly countries (the list of such states includes the entire EU) in rubles. After the refusal of some countries, including Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark and Bulgaria, to pay in Russian currency, Gazprom stopped deliveries. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, claimed at the end of July that in total gas pumping was stopped in 12 EU countries.

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Russia is ready to respond “non-mirror” The three Baltic states decided to close the transit of Russians with Schengen visas through their territory to Europe, and in Russia the introduction of electronic visas for foreigners is again discussed at the highest level

< /p>

Baltic Barrier

On September 7, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia agreed to introduce a ban for Russians with Schengen visas to enter the European Union through their borders with both Russia and Belarus, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said at a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic and Northern European countries, held in Kaunas (Lithuania). The details of this decision are to be finalized this week, and its implementation is scheduled for mid-September. “Decisions will be made by national governments in accordance with national procedures and will take effect simultaneously,” — Rinkevics promised. It is known that an exception will be made for certain categories of Russian citizens— for humanitarian travelers, for diplomats, for those visiting relatives, and for truck drivers.

Finland, which also became one of the transit countries for Russians traveling to Europe after the cancellation of Russia's flights to the EU, did not join the initiative. As the country's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto explained in Kaunas, Helsinki wants to wait for the official decision of the European Commission on this issue. “There is a problem of a legal nature: how to determine whether the Schengen visas of Russians are valid or not valid now. We control our own visa issuance process, but we need advice from the European Commission on what to do with visas issued by other Schengen countries, — he clarified.

Finland and Estonia have accounted for two-thirds of Russians crossing the border with the EU since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Bloomberg writes, citing data from Frontex. In total, about a million Russian citizens entered the European Union during this time.

On September 6, the European Commission submitted recommendations to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU (COREPER) was supposed to make the final decision on September 7, this issue was on the agenda of the meeting. On Wednesday, RIA Novosti citing a European source, she said that the committee approved the document, but formally it will be adopted on Friday, September 9, at a ministerial meeting of the EU Council.

The simplified visa regime is expected to be canceled on September 12, after which the visa fee for Russians will increase from €35 to €80, the application processing time— from 10 to 15 days, in some cases up to 45 days (previously the maximum period was 30 days). Applicants will need to provide a larger package of documents for obtaining a Schengen visa (the recommendations do not say which additional documents may be needed). The European Commission also proposed issuing fewer multiple-entry long-term visas. In total, according to the EC, about a million Russians have valid Schengen visas.

The visa facilitation agreement between Russia and the EU was concluded in the spring of 2007. It stipulates the conditions for issuing short-term visas with permission to stay for up to 90 days within 180 days, the cost of issuing visas, a list of documents submitted by applicants.

This agreement was partially suspended on February 28, after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The restrictions affected members of official delegations, the government and parliament, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, holders of diplomatic passports, as well as entrepreneurs. In May, the European Commission issued clarifications on how the states of the union should act in relation to these categories of Russians. “These categories of persons no longer have privileged access to the EU, they need to provide documentary evidence of the purpose of the trip when obtaining a visa, as well as pay the visa fee in full— €80»,— explained in the EU. The document emphasized that the said measure would not affect ordinary Russians.

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A non-mirror answer

On Wednesday, at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in the issue of issuing visas to Europeans, Russia will not do anything contrary to its interests and will not impose retaliatory restrictions.

“[Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov will probably be angry with me— he is here in the hall just looking carefully, & mdash; because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs always acts like a mirror: they spat on us— we, too, must respond with a spit, our visas were closed, and we, too, must close visas for everyone,— Putin said.— We are interested in young people coming and studying with us. Why close them? We are interested in business coming here and working with us, despite all the restrictions. And there are a lot of such businessmen who love Russia, come here or want to work here. Here you are, please, let them come and work. Why limit them? The tutors are coming. Let them come and work! What's wrong here? Athletes, artists. Why limit? We will not cut these contacts ourselves.

According to the decree of the Russian President, since May 2022, the visa facilitation regime with the EU has been suspended for a number of categories of citizens of the association and countries belonging to the Schengen area,— European officials, diplomats, journalists, members of national and regional parliaments, governments and courts have lost preferences when processing documents for entry into Russia.

At a meeting of the State Tourism Council, held in Vladivostok the day before, the head of the Federal Tourism Agency Zarina Doguzova asked Putin to return to the issue of issuing electronic visas to foreign tourists. “They (Europeans.— RBC) they don’t want to see us, but we would be glad to see their tourists, and let them spend their money here and get to know our country. Therefore, we ask you to return to the issue of an electronic visa and instruct to consider the possibility of launching this long-awaited mechanism,— she said. Doguzova made a similar call on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in June.

According to the law adopted in July 2020, Russia had to issue electronic visas to citizens of 52 countries, including EU members, from January 2021. However, the start of the law was delayed due to the current entry restrictions against the backdrop of the pandemic, which were lifted only in mid-July 2022. The website of the consular department of the Russian Foreign Ministry indicates that electronic visas to Russia are not currently being issued.

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia, citing statistics from the FSB Border Guard Service, reported that 57.7 thousand foreigners visited Russia in the first quarter of 2022 tourists, and for the same period of pre-pandemic 2019, the country was visited by 6.4 million foreigners.

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< /p> Dmitry Peskov

It is becoming increasingly difficult for people and businesses in Europe to live, and there are more and more questions for the authorities, the situation with the protests that have arisen should be commented on by the leaders of countries that accept “absurd” decision, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, RBC correspondent reports.

“Obviously, life is getting worse for people and companies in Europe, living standards are falling. Questions to the leadership will appear more and more. Let the leaders of those countries that make absurd decisions deal with commenting on this, — he said.

Rallies were held over the weekend in different cities of Europe, at which they demanded that sanctions be lifted from Russia and return directly to energy orders from the country.

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Analysts point to an unprecedented rise in prices.

The price of gas in Europe has renewed its historical maximum due to the upcoming shutdown of the Nord Stream.

Russian energy expert Boris Martsinkevich said that Gazprom played on the requirements that Siemens presented to it. Namely, the Russian supplier was able to update the historical maximum in fuel prices on the eve of the shutdown of the “Nord Stream” gas pipeline.

Thus, according to Martsinkevich, at the end of August, the price of $3,500 mark. Already on August 29, the price went down to less than 3,000 per thousand cubic meters, but still remains extremely difficult for the modern economy of Europe.

The analyst believes that information about repairs at fields in Norway influenced prices , as well as information about the immediate stop “SP-1”.

According to “Gazprom”, the gas pipeline will be suspended on August 31 for at least three days. The reason is the repair of the last turbine, which is still working for the supply of fuel.

Such a requirement, according to Martsinkevich, was presented by the maintenance equipment company Siemens. According to its terms, the turbine should go for maintenance after 1,000 hours of uninterrupted operation.

“If the inspection does not reveal any serious defects, it will continue to work,” the expert explained.

He believes that the company simply took advantage of the terms of the contract, so there can be no talk of any political will from Moscow.

It is known that now “SP-1” operates at 20% capacity and remains the only pipeline delivering directly to Germany. Other channels, including the GTS (Poland) and Ukraine, either work in reverse or with restrictions.

Speaking on the YouTube channel of Radio Aurora, Martsinkevich joked that Siemens could send “a serious specialist' #8221; Olaf Scholz. True, in the event that the German chancellor is not at that moment somewhere in Qatar or Canada.

«Siemens… I was looking for LNG there – there is none in Canada, but Scholz came to look, ”the analyst quipped.

Earlier, Topnews wrote that according to the Finnish YLE, the Russian supplier began to burn fuel that is not in demand by suppliers . And the British edition of the Daily Express reports that Russia could deal a death blow to the EU on September 2.

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The hackers, operating under the name Adrastea, reported on a thematic forum that they were selling data to MBDA Missile Systems, the largest arms manufacturer in Europe.

The hackers said they had 80 GB of information, including blueprints, data on modern weapons systems and US air reconnaissance operations in the Baltics in 2020.

The hackers are asking for 15 bitcoins for the stolen materials, which is approximately 18 million rubles. According to Adrastea, at least one customer has already paid for access to the archive.

It was previously reported that Apple has identified a security vulnerability in the iPhone, iPad and Mac, due to which hackers can get « full administrative access” to gadgets. Details – in the material aif.ru.

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In Europe, a climate and resource crisis has come, and the “period of abundance” is over, said French President Macron jpg 673w” media=”(max-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 320px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)” >

< img class="aligncenter" src="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/7/06/756613495983067.jpg" alt="Macron announced the end of abundance in Europe" />

In France and Europe as a whole, the “period of abundance and carelessness” has ended, French leader Emmanuel Macron said at the opening of the Council of Ministers meeting. He urged the French to rally to resolve crises.

“I believe that what we are experiencing now, — it's kind of a big upheaval or a big upheaval. In fact, we are experiencing the end of abundance, the end of cheap liquidity— we will have to extract from this the economic consequences— the end of the availability of products and technologies that we thought were always available,— he said (BFMTV quote).

In addition, Macron mentioned the climate crisis and new risks for Europe, as well as cyber risks. Thus, in his opinion, France needs to do a lot of work on environmental planning and “make clear and decisive choices regarding the season just experienced in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, redouble the efforts that could be made, and also transform the country even faster”; .

Macron also pointed to the rise and consolidation of “illiberal, authoritarian regimes.” He pointed out that the “freedom regime” in France “has a price” and “may demand sacrifices.”

The President of the Republic also touched upon the military conflict in Ukraine, calling this period “the end of carelessness.”

The cost of energy and fertilizers in Western Europe rose amid the Russian military operation in Ukraine and retaliatory sanctions that disrupted supply chains. As a result, European countries faced a record rise in prices for several decades, including for food and utilities.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that millions of people in the UK will not be able to afford heating and food in the winter. “For many, it will not be a question of choice between heating and food — sadly, they won't be able to afford either”, — he thinks.

He showed Bloomberg's infographic, according to which the average annual electricity bill in January 2023 could exceed £ 4 thousand (280 thousand rubles).

Khan called on the British authorities to intervene so that “people can meet their basic needs” and freeze the growth of the electricity bill ceiling.

In mid-July, Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Hunor Kelemen said that Europe could face the worst winter since World War II of the war.

The harsh winter in connection with the energy crisis and high inflation in the EU was also warned by Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas. “We will probably see even higher prices than last winter, and this is very worrying”, — she noted.

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Emmanuel Macron

politician, President of France

December 21, 1977

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By 2030, it is planned to replace about 1000 tanks in Europe, half of them are expected to be supplied by the German concern Rheinmetall. The new Panther KF51 tank (“Panther”) has already been offered to 20 countries (max-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 320px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)” >

< img class="aligncenter" src="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/9/63/756610099258639.jpg" alt="Panther manufacturer announced plans to supply 500 tanks to Europe" />

Tank KF51 Panther

The largest German manufacturer of military equipment and weapons Rheinmetall plans to supply Europe with about 500 tanks by 2030, including the latest Panther KF51 (“Panther”), the head of the enterprise Armin Papperger said in an interview with Handelsblatt.

” ; In Europe, by 2030, about 1,000 of the 8,000 main battle tanks will be replaced. With our new Panther, we want to deliver at least half, that is, about 500 units, — he said.

Panther KF51 offered to 20 countries, said Papperger.

Panther KF51 was presented by Rheinmetall in June at the international exhibition Eurosatory 2022. The tank is equipped with a 130mm cannon, a fully automatic ammunition supply system with 20 rounds of ammunition, and a 12.7 mm coaxial machine gun. The tank has systems to prevent threats from the air and smoke protection. The weight of the tank is 59 tons, which makes it, according to the developers, much more mobile compared to existing counterparts, Rheinmetall noted.

The German publication Stern called the presentation of the new Rheinmetall tank “unexpected”; and described the Panther KF51 as “the West's first response” on the Russian T-14 “Armata”. In addition, the publication considered the new “Panther” a competitor to the project of the Franco-German “supertank” MGCS. The release of the latter is delayed, and the start of deliveries is expected no earlier than 2035. Thus, the Panther KF51 can take away potential customers from MGCS, the publication points out.

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Powerful winds and downpours that hit French Corsica today caused the death of at least two residents of the island, and at least 12 more citizens were injured and are in serious condition. This was reported by TASS.

The dead were a 13-year-old girl and a 72-year-old woman. The cause of death of one of them was a tree falling on a house in a campsite.

In connection with the rampant elements, the infrastructure was seriously damaged, traffic was disrupted. More than 45,000 homes were left without electricity.

In addition, according to RIA Novosti, the drought-stricken regions of northern Italy were also hit by downpours and hurricane winds. In Tuscany, trees and roofs were demolished by a storm, two citizens died, four were injured. The media report that a hurricane-force wind spun the Ferris wheel in the commune of Piombino.

In the eastern part of Austria, a storm led to the death of two children. Another 10 citizens were seriously injured.

Earlier it was reported that 14 people were victims of heavy rains in South Korea, four more people were missing.

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The drought has hit more than half of Europe due to extreme heat. July 2022 in Europe was one of the driest and hottest on record. According to the European Drought Observatory, Europe's drought could be the worst in 500 years.

What Europe's waters look like now — in the AiF.ru photo feed.

Po River in Northern Italy © www.globallookpress.com/Andrea Fasani/Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press

Hesse's largest reservoir in Germany is only 20 percent full due to drought © www.globallookpress.com/Uwe Zucchi/dpa/Global Look Press

Germany's largest reservoir in Hesse is only 20 percent full due to drought © www.globallookpress.com/Uwe Zucchi/dpa/Global Look Press

River Rhine near Duisburg, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/IMAGO/Jochen Tack/Global Look Press

River Rhine in Düsseldorf, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/Federico Gambarini/dpa/Global Look Press

Shallow lake Zik in Austria © Reuters/Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

River Rhine near Duisburg, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/IMAGO/Jochen Tack/Global Look Press

Shallow bed of the Rhine in Bingen, Germany © Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo/Reuters

Reservoir near the city of Malaga in southern Spain © Reuters/Jon Nazca/Reuters

Houseboats in the dry bed of the Waal River in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. © Reuters/Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

Shallow reservoir in Galicia, Spain © www.globallookpress.com/CarlosCastro/Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press

Shallow river Verdon in France © www.globallookpress.com/Jan Woitas/dpa/Global Look Press

Po River in Northern Italy © www.globallookpress.com/Andrea Fasani/Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press

Germany's largest reservoir in Hesse is only 20 percent full due to drought © www.globallookpress.com/Uwe Zucchi/dpa/Global Look Press

Hesse's largest reservoir in Germany is only 20 percent full due to drought © www.globallookpress.com/Uwe Zucchi/dpa/Global Look Press

River Rhine near Duisburg, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/IMAGO/Jochen Tack/Global Look Press

River Rhine in Düsseldorf, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/Federico Gambarini/dpa/Global Look Press

Shallow lake Zik in Austria © Reuters/Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

River Rhine near Duisburg, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/IMAGO/Jochen Tack/Global Look Press

Shallow bed of the Rhine in Bingen, Germany © Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo/Reuters

Reservoir near the city of Malaga in southern Spain © Reuters/Jon Nazca/Reuters

Houseboats in a dry bed of the Waal River in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. © Reuters/Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

Shallow reservoir in Galicia, Spain © www.globallookpress.com/CarlosCastro/Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press

Shallow river Verdon in France © www.globallookpress.com/Jan Woitas/dpa/Global Look Press

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Estonian Prime Minister Kallas urged to deprive Russians of the “privilege” to visit Europe After the events in Ukraine, the EU stopped air traffic with Russia. And while Russians are being issued Schengen visas, the countries with which Russia has open land borders — Finland, Estonia and Latvia — bear the burden, Kallas said< source srcset="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/800xH/media/img/9/95/756600343932959.webp 800w" type="image/webp" media="(max-width: 400px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)" >

Kaja Kallas

The EU authorities should stop issuing entry visas to Russian tourists, said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

“Stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Visiting Europe— it's a privilege, not a human right,” — she wrote on Twitter.

Kallas recalled that after the start of the military operation in Ukraine, the European Union closed air traffic with Russia. “This means that while the countries of the Schengen zone issue visas, the burden falls on the countries neighboring Russia” Finland, Estonia, Latvia, which are the only land entry points. It's time to end tourism from Russia right now, — Prime Minister said.

Estonia has previously called for a ban on the issuance of EU visas to Russians. Foreign Minister of the Republic Urmas Reinsalu proposed to include this measure in the next package of sanctions against Russia. According to him, the EU should “isolate even more” Russia due to the ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

Again, the issue of banning the issuance of visas to Russians Kallas raised after the statement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The day before, he called on Western countries to close the borders for Russians for a year and impose a complete embargo on the purchase of Russian energy resources. The President believes that these measures will be stronger than previous sanctions and serve as “the only way to influence [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

By closing the borders, Zelensky said, one can “hold all population” Russia: its citizens must “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.”

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Deputy head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev reacted to Zelensky's words. “The last time Adolf Hitler tried to implement such ideas in relation to an entire nation. Are there any more questions about the nature of Ukrainian power?»— he said.

The European Commission, in turn, ruled out a complete ban on issuing visas to Russians. “There are always groups of people who need to be given visas. These are humanitarian cases, family members [of EU citizens], journalists and dissidents,— noted in it. As explained in the EC, the Brussels sanctions are directed primarily against the Russian authorities and elites, and not against ordinary citizens. The Kremlin promised to respond in case of “emotional decisions” according to Schengen.

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The EU assures that gas imports from Russia have decreased from 40% to 20%.

Europe has found a way to partially solve the problem of shortage of natural gas, which was formed in the context of the energy crisis. This was caused by anti-Russian sanctions imposed due to the special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

According to Haber7, Europe has relied on Azerbaijan, which will increase the supply of “blue fuel” to 11 billion cubic meters.

The country wants to break the record of natural gas supplies in 2022 – up to 9.1 billion cubic meters.

In 2023, the figure will reach 11 billion cubic meters, InoSMI writes.

According to media reports, Azerbaijan has come to replace Russia and is already increasing gas supplies.

Against this backdrop, EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Josep Borrell confirmed that they have made progress in buying fuel from Norway, Algeria and Azerbaijan.

“The harsh reality is that this winter we are approaching the limit of how much additional gas we can buy from non-Russian sources. Thus, the main part will have to fall on energy savings, that is, demand reduction”, – said Borrell.

At the same time, Russia's share of gas imports dropped from 40% to 20%. And this is due to an increase in the volume of purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG), its share in consumption has only doubled.

In mid-July, a memorandum on partnership in the energy sector was signed between Azerbaijan and the European Commission.

< p>The EU continues to talk about increasing gas supplies, the Southern Gas Corridor is of particular importance in relations with Azerbaijan.

Recall that the Southern Gas Corridor is the supply of natural gas to Europe from the regions of the Caspian Sea and the Middle East.

As Topnews wrote earlier, Gazprom announced problems with the supply of turbines for Nord Stream – its delivery is not possible due to the sanctions of Canada, the EU and the UK.

Источник topnews.ru

The Finnish edition writes about a huge torch on the border with Russia.

Due to a serious reduction in gas supplies to Europe via “Nord Stream” the company “Gazprom”, according to media reports, burns excess fuel.

Journalists estimate the scale as industrial.

According to the Finnish YLE, referring to NASA data and testimony According to eyewitnesses, a giant torch flared up near the Russian-Finnish border on June 17.

Not far from the place of fire is the impression station “Portovaya”, which provides gas pumping.

Torch visible on the other side of the border, the publication points out.

The NASA monitoring system has the same data, despite the fact that there were no other fires during this period.

As TASS specified, Gazprom introduced restrictions on blue fuel via Nord Stream, reducing volumes from 167 million to 67 million cubic meters per day at the beginning of summer.

The company said that the reason for this was a malfunction of the equipment

Therefore, two turbines that were serviced in Canada did not arrive on time.

As Topnews wrote, the other side said that the acceptance of the equipment “Gazprom” slows down itself, delaying customs documents.

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Anomalous heat continues in Western Europe. How do people escape the heat — in the AiF.ru photo feed.

Rescuers in Stralsund, Germany © www.globallookpress.com/Stefan Sauer/dpa/Global Look Press

Holidaymakers take shelter in the heat in Rome's Piazza del Popolo © www.globallookpress.com/Jin Mamengni/XinHua/Global Look Press

Resting by the fountain at the Trocadero in Paris © Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Residents of the German city of Kiel relax in the 35-degree heat © www.globallookpress.com/Markus Scholz/dpa/Global Look Press

A man drinks water at the Place du Trocadero in Paris © Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Vacationers on the Mediterranean coast in Fuengirola, Spain © Reuters/Jon Nazca/File Photo/Reuters

People fill bottles with drinking water on a hot day in Rome © www.globallookpress.com/Jin Mamengni/XinHua/Global Look Press

Vacationers on the coast of the Baltic Sea in the German Haff Circle © www.globallookpress.com/Bodo Marks/dpa/Global Look Press

Hamburgers in the Plantin-un-Blomen fountain on a hot day © www.globallookpress.com/Christian Charisius/dpa/Global Look Press

High fire risk warning sign in Richmond Park, London © Reuters/Toby Melville/Reuters

Berliners bathe in a lake in 33-degree heat © www.globallookpress.com/Carsten Koall/dpa/Global Look Press

A man drinks water at the Trocadero in Paris © Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Vacationers on the Mediterranean coast in Fuengirola, Spain © Reuters/Jon Nazca/File Photo/Reuters

People fill bottles with drinking water on a hot day in Rome © www.globallookpress.com/Jin Mamengni/XinHua/Global Look Press

A man drinks water on a hot day from a drinking fountain in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. © Reuters/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo/Reuters

Woman in the fountain at the Trocadero in Paris © Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Источник aif.ru

The story of Russia's victory will repeat itself, Medvedev said. So he responded to Stoltenberg's words that what is happening in Ukraine is the most dangerous time for Europe since World War II< source srcset="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/800xH/media/img/9/45/756596263128459.webp 800w" type="image/webp" media="(max-width: 400px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)" >< source srcset="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/590xH/media/img/9/45/756596263128459.webp 590w" type="image/webp" >

Dmitry Medvedev

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg forgot that Russia won the Second World War, now it will win in Ukraine, Deputy Security Council Head Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

So he reacted to the statement of Stoltenberg, who called the conflict in Ukraine “the most dangerous situation since the Second World War.” The NATO Secretary General also noted that “Russia cannot be allowed to win.”

“He has a bad memory. I forgot who won then, in World War II. History will repeat itself,— Medvedev said.

The Kremlin did not agree with Stoltenberg's statement either. According to the press secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov, the current situation “was ripening for several decades.” It was largely “provoked by the aggressive policy of NATO”; in relation to Russia, which brought its infrastructure closer to the country's borders, which created “additional dangers” for it; and required action, he said.

In addition, continued Peskov, “a threat to the world order and the situation in the world.” was the coup in Ukraine in 2014, “carefully staged, including by NATO countries.” “This is where the threat and danger to the world order comes from. Therefore, we do not agree with such a formulation of the issue by Mr. Stoltenberg, — he concluded.

Russia has been conducting a military special operation in Ukraine since February 24th. President Vladimir Putin said that the authorities intend to achieve “demilitarization and denazification” neighboring state, as well as to protect the inhabitants of Donbass from “genocide”.

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Ukraine, in response, severed diplomatic relations with Russia and introduced martial law. And Western countries began to tighten sanctions, in particular, they partially banned the supply of Russian oil and refused to import Russian gold. The Russian authorities consider these sanctions illegal, insisting that they primarily violate the interests of those who impose them.

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Photo: Video frame

Refugees from Ukraine call working conditions in European countries hellish. The Strana newspaper writes about this.

One of the interlocutors of the publication said that she had moved from Ukraine to Italy. Here she was provided with free housing and for the first three months she was paid an allowance of 300 euros per adult and 150 euros per child. However, now the payments have stopped.

A Ukrainian refugee noted that she had to get a job picking cherries. Pay for such work 6 euros per hour. You have to work 10 hours a day and 1 day off per month. The conditions, which the woman described as “hellish,” forced her to resign shortly after.

Another refugee complained about gray employment schemes developed in Italy. An employee can be deceived by not paying him money. For employment in good vacancies, you need to pay an intermediary up to 500 euros. Even qualified specialists, for example, doctors, who in Italy are paid from 2-2.5 thousand euros, cannot find a job.

Источник www.mk.ru

Inconsistent news of the week

While everyone was following the spy story of the attempted hijacking of a Russian combat aircraft, the flight of an American military aircraft with Nancy Pelosi on board, the extravagant sawing of a branch of a gas pipeline by Europe, on which she sits, an almost unnoticed event took place in Russia. Meanwhile, a cornerstone has been laid at the foundation of the country that is being reborn before our eyes.

President Biden: who is playing with fire? Photo: AP

One of my hated acquaintances told me that he had a special notebook in which he wrote down what he had lied to. For a while, this helped a lot, and this man even gained a reputation as almost a moral authority. But lies gained a critical mass, climbed out of all the cracks, like Mishka's porridge, and the person turned into an outcast when his deceit became obvious to everyone. The story of an attempt to bribe our pilot and hijack a plane from Russia to Ukraine is exactly the same. Investigative-loving liberal oppositionists have been saying for years that they are not against Russia, but against the regime. And then it turned out that their main “investigator” and moral authority, Khristo Grozev, was a soldier of the enemy. They are not fighting with Putin, they are fighting against the Russians, and the beautiful Russia of the future in their understanding is many, many small states that are Western colonies en masse. My friend, by the way, went through the pain of repentance and active repentance. Now he is doing well. I'm not sure if our liberals will succeed in the same thing: they have too strong, egocentrism is the basis of their worldview.

The clash of egocentrism and harsh reality could be observed at the very end of the week. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi began her tour. She said she would fly to Taiwan. Like, it is necessary to support the democratic regime as opposed to the totalitarian communist China. But on the eve of the tour, an event took place that was breathtaking. Comrade Xi told Mr Biden that anyone who plays with fire is sure to get burned. It's not even a flick on the nose. This is a direct indication to America how it should behave. An instruction given at the level of dialogue between the two leaders of states. A severe blow to the pride and authority of the United States, which no one has ever dared to point out and which always and in everything behaved exactly as they wanted. Summed up egocentrism. Now Pelosi will turn to Taiwan (the tour was still going on when I write this) – America will begin to crumble under the inevitable blows (not directly military) of China. If he doesn’t show up, the political system will begin to crumble, because Trump will definitely and completely humiliate Grandfather. Moreover, the version that Biden is not real is still gaining popularity there – he doesn’t blink for an inhumanly long time during television broadcasts, and he looks too different in different photographs. Yes, and covid attacks him every other day.

In Europe, the EU political system has already begun to crumble. There is no unanimity on the issue of renunciation of Russian gas, and on the issue of sanctions in general, no matter how it is portrayed. It got to the point that the heads of the settlements of the German island of Rügen wrote a letter to the federal government in which they propose to launch … Nord Stream 2. Not even just a “SP”, for which the turbines will not be given away, but the “second” – Putin's “weapon” of the main caliber. Attempts to switch to gas from manure, which turned out to be successful in small villages, are unlikely, according to the German press, to save industry and big cities. It is also impossible to redistribute gas between different countries in winter – Poland and Portugal flatly refused to share. Cracks and fissures are no longer running just along the lines of state borders, but also within countries … But the most surprising thing is, of course, the European consistency: on the one hand, to say that we are supposedly reducing consumption and generally want to abandon Russian gas , and on the other hand, to be indignant that Russia is meeting these desires and turning the valve. Imagine a drug addict who tells everyone he is determined to quit, but yells like a victim when his dope supply is taken from him.

By the way, about Zelensky. The President of Ukraine and his wife starred in a world famous fashion magazine. And as expected, he caught a wave of negativity – both from ordinary citizens and from politicians at the level of American congressmen. The latter were outraged, as befits the Americans, by the misappropriation of their money. And ordinary people – the level of grief on the faces of the Zelensky couple. The grief was at the level of “our beloved pug died.” And this, it should be noted, speaks of who killed fifty “Azov” in the colony in Yelenovka much more than the fragments of the American missile from “Khimars” found on the spot and the invitation of international experts by Russia to investigate the strike.

Of course, seemingly small events inside Russia are not so noticeable behind all this. But in fact, they are no less important than victories at the front. It would seem, well, what is the significance of the words of Deputy Prime Minister Borisov that “in Russia they missed the transition to an industrial model for the production of satellites, a radical restructuring of processes is needed, moreover, under sanctions”? Huge. In the sense that the scheme “you can’t upset the bosses” breaks down. Admitting a mistake in public is not just progress. This is progress, progress. Or Mishustin assigns high-tech industries to vice-premiers. It's the same thing. After all, nothing prevented doing this before (in fact, it did, but with the beginning of the NWO, he emigrated from Russia).

But for me personally, the main event of the week was the decision of the Ministry of Education that from September 1 in all schools of the country will hold a weekly ceremony of raising the State flag. Someone snorts: that's nonsense! And you go up to anyone who caught the pioneers and withstood the torture of capitalism, and say: “Be ready!” The answer bounces off the teeth.

Источник www.mk.ru

Photo: Global Look Press

Russian citizens should be banned from entering Europe as a basic rule. This statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu, whose words are quoted by ERR.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic said that Estonia would develop and submit an appropriate initiative. He explained his proposal by the fact that even after the republic stopped issuing visas to Russians, they continue to arrive in the country on visas issued in other states of the Schengen zone.

“At the end of August, I will meet with the foreign ministers other countries in Prague, and then I will present a plan for pan-European restrictions,” Reinsalu said.

The minister also said that Estonia should take an example from neighboring Latvia, which, when crossing the border, forces Russians to express their attitude towards the Russian special operation on Ukraine.

In addition, according to Reinsalu, Estonia needs to cancel the visas previously issued to Russians, which are still valid.

Источник www.mk.ru

The issuance of a permit to launch Nord Stream 2 will increase Europe's dependence on Russian fuel, which cannot be allowed, said the Vice Chancellor of Germany. He supported the agreement of the EU countries to temporarily reduce gas consumption by 15% =”The German authorities compared the launch of Nord Stream 2 with the capitulation of Europe” />

Neither Germany nor the European Union allow the possibility of commissioning the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, despite concerns about fuel supplies, German Vice Chancellor, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck said at a meeting in Brussels.

According to the minister, if European regulators approve the launch of the pipeline, this will increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas. “This is in direct contradiction to what we have been working on here for the past six months, — and, of course, it is also a surrender with all the sanctions that we have taken, — said Habek (quote from the Sueddeutsche Zeitung).

Khabek called the reduction in gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 “Kremlin's strategy”. On the eve of Gazprom announced that it is decommissioning another Siemens gas turbine engine for the pipeline at the Portovaya compressor station, due to which the daily volume of gas pumped from July 27 will be 33 million cubic meters. m (20% of the design capacity of the gas pipeline). Prior to this, the Russian company twice reduced the volume of pumping through Nord Stream; due to the fact that one Siemens turbine that was being repaired in Canada could not return to Russia due to sanctions, and another had to be stopped for repairs.

“I believe that” Gazprom ” is no longer the master of his own decisions,»— said Habek (quoted from Oe.24), calling the situation around Nord Stream 1 and turbines for him a farce: “Everything is politicized, the agreements are no longer respected.” Russia has previously rejected accusations that the Nord Stream 1 supply cut caused by political reasons.

According to Habek, the agreement of the EU countries to reduce gas consumption by 15% by the end of March next year was “a strong signal to all those who mock the EU and those who despise it.”

“Nord Stream-2″— gas pipeline from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea. It consists of two lines with a length of more than 1.2 thousand km each. The project budget was estimated at €9.5 billion. The construction of the pipeline was complicated by US sanctions, it was completed in September 2021.

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After the Russian authorities recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Germany suspended the certification of the gas pipeline. Due to the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 project was under US sanctions, the company's executive director Matthias Warnig was included in the SDN sanctions list, which provides for the blocking of assets and isolation from the dollar system. Authorities in Switzerland, where Nord Stream 2 was headquartered, said the company had laid off all employees and must file for bankruptcy.

Habek criticized Nord Stream 2 and before the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, calling the project a geopolitical mistake in Germany. On July 22, he said that launching the pipeline was “categorically impossible.”

The proposal to launch the pipeline to resolve the energy crisis was earlier voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that he raised this topic in a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but he considered the idea inappropriate, because there are “more important questions”.

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Источник rbc.ru

Siemens sees no connection between turbine maintenance and gas supplies.

Holding “Gazprom” announced that he was forced to suspend the operation of one of his turbines, namely – Siemens engine at station “Portovaya”. In this regard, pumping fuel through the gas pipeline “Nord Stream” will be reduced to 33 million cubic meters. m per day (20%) already on July 27.

The current supply volume is 67 million cubic meters. meters, and the reason for its decline, according to TASS with reference to the statement & # 8220; Gazprom & # 8221; , was the end of the time between overhauls before overhaul.

As a result, the company's statement led to an increase of 4.2% in fuel prices in Europe – such data was provided by the London Stock Exchange ICE.

A month ago, the Russian supplier announced the suspension of supplies via “Nord Stream” by 40%, explaining this by the fact that the Canadian division of the German Siemens, which repaired its units, did not return them to “Gazprom”, citing anti-Russian sanctions.

The decision was later changed and announced delivery of the German engine. The media reported that in Europe they were afraid of stopping fuel supplies via “SP” when the repair was completed.

Siemens itself explained that they were ready to extend the maintenance and increase its volume if the company was submitted request.

At the moment, according to the British Express, Europe fell into a panic after learning about the halving of the flow. Thus, gas quotes rose, reaching $1,880.

According to columnist Jacob Paul, what is happening with the supply has led to an emergency meeting in Brussels of the heads of energy ministries. The meeting will discuss the EU's plan to save gas, which the European Commission had previously feared.

Siemens said they see no relationship between supply cuts and repairs.

In a conversation with RIA Novosti, a representative of the company said that the turbine, the repair of which in Canada has already been completed, can be delivered to Russia “immediately”. For this “Gazprom” must submit customs documents for importation. Canada also announced its readiness to withdraw from the sanctions restriction the engines that Siemens Energy maintains in Montreal.

The company explained that the maintenance of turbines – a routine procedure and “any future maintenance work can be provided”, and the government of the country allowed them to be exported from Siemens Energy to Germany”.

Regarding the “stumbling turbine&# 8221;, then Germany handed over all documents for export to Russia last week.

The representative of the company said that the Russian company is aware of this, and only “Gazprom” can prepare customs documents as a client and continue the process of importing the engine to Russia.

Earlier, Topnews wrote that “Gazprom” fell by a quarter after the announcement of the refusal to pay dividends.

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