Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday threatened the West to “cut production” of Russian oil “if necessary”, days after the EU, G7 and Australia introduced oil price caps. 60 dollar Russian black gold. “We will think about a possible reduction in production if necessary,” Putin said at a press conference in Bishkek, on the sidelines of a regional summit.
The mechanism wanted for several months by the West and put in place earlier this week by the West is “a stupid decision”, he judged. “The proposed ceiling (at 60 dollars) corresponds to the prices at which we are selling today. In this sense, it does not affect us in any way,” he noted to journalists.
The price of a barrel of Russian oil (crude from the Urals) is indeed fluctuating around 65 dollars, barely above the European ceiling, implying a limited impact in the short term. For countries importing Russian oil, “following this harmful + non-market + solution would be stupid for everyone”, the Russian president still judged on Friday in front of the press.
Energy infrastructure “virtually destroyed” in Kherson, assures the network operator
Ukrainian energy infrastructure around Kherson was “virtually destroyed” during the withdrawal of Russian forces and the situation is “complicated” in Odessa, targeted by strikes, national operator Ukrenergo said on Friday.
“On Monday, the enemy struck again. It was again the Ukrenergo facilities, the main line substations, especially in southern Ukraine, and the power plants that were damaged,” lamented its leader, Volodymyr Koudritskiï during a press conference.
According to him, the “successful work” of Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defense prevented more Russian strikes from hitting their targets and further damaging the national energy grid. “More than a thousand missiles and drones” have been fired by Russia “since October 10, the date of the first major Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy sites, he told journalists.
According to him, the most difficult situation, “is in Odessa (southwest) and in the Kherson region where the electricity network has been practically destroyed”.
kyiv accuses Russia of detaining two employees of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Ukraine on Friday accused Russia of detaining two employees of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (south), militarily occupied by Moscow, after having “violently beaten” them. On Thursday, “the Russian army broke into the premises where the Department of Social Programs of the plant is located and, in the presence of other employees, violently beat the head of the department, Oleksiy Trubenkov, and his deputy, Yuriy Androsov “, lamented the nuclear operator Energoatom in a press release.
Information to remember:
- Ukraine on Friday accused Russia of detaining two employees of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
- Opponent Ilia Yachine sentenced for denouncing the offensive in Ukraine.
“After this violent beating”, the Russians “took them out and took them in an unknown direction”, denounced Energoatom. The plant’s nuclear safety officer, Konstantin Beiner, was also “thrown in the basement”, according to Energoatom, but is not being held by Russian forces. The Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom accused the Moscow soldiers, who have occupied the site since the beginning of March, of “running wild and turning into real policemen and jailers”, “intensifying the repression” of the employees.
This is not the first time that kyiv has accused Moscow of harassing Ukrainian personnel at the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. At the end of September, its managing director was arrested by Russian forces, before being released a few days later.
The two countries accuse each other of bombing
For several months, Ukraine and Russia have been accusing each other of bombardments around the Zaporijjia power plant, located not far from the front line, raising fears of the occurrence of a major accident. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has positioned 500 Russian troops at the site.
Calls to demilitarize the places have multiplied by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the international community (IAEA), without success so far.
Opponent Ilia Yachin sentenced for denouncing the offensive in Ukraine
A Moscow court on Friday sentenced opponent Ilia Yashin to eight and a half years in prison for criticizing the military offensive against Ukraine, AFP noted, after a trial illustrating the climate of repression in Russia . Mr. Iachine, 39, greeted the verdict with a laugh. The charismatic opponent was convicted of spreading “false information” about the army for denouncing “the killing of civilians” in the Ukrainian town of Boutcha, near kyiv, where Russia is accused of abuses, this which she denies.
Ilia Iachine, 39, arrested in June, was on trial for having denounced during a live intervention on YouTube “the murder of civilians” in the Ukrainian town of Boutcha, near kyiv, where the Russian army was accused of abuses, which Moscow denies. His arrest did not prevent him from continuing to criticize the authorities in an acerbic manner and to denounce the military intervention in Ukraine.
After the launch of the military operation in Ukraine, the Russian authorities strengthened their legislative arsenal to muzzle critical voices. Several people have already been sentenced to several years in prison after being convicted of publishing “false information” or “discrediting” the army.
Source: Europe1
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