Hungary criticized U.S. sanctions on Gazprombank, stating that they pose a threat to the energy security of Central European countries, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement on Nov. 22.
Key developments on Nov. 22: * Russia likely used ballistic missile from 'Kedr' complex to strike Dnipro, intelligence says * Russia plans to launch mass production of Oreshnik missile, Putin says * North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports say * Russia has deployed nearly 60,000 troops
Ukrnafta, a state-owned oil and gas extraction company that is a subsidiary of Naftogaz, has bought a 51% stake in Shell's gas station network in Ukraine, the press service of Naftogaz reported on Nov. 19.
At least three Russian oil refineries have been forced to halt or scale back production due to significant losses and now face the risk of closure, Reuters reported on Nov. 15, citing five undisclosed sources.
Private Chinese oil refinery Landbridge Petrochemical Co. has made a rare purchase of a shipment of West African oil instead of typical import from sanctioned Iran and Russia, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 14.
The United Kingdom has been unable to retrieve its weapons from floating armories offering weapons and accommodation for guards defending Russian oil tankers, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 5.
The European Union’s anti-fraud agency opened an investigation into the possible exporting of rebranded Russian oil via Turkey into the EU, Politico reported on Nov. 5, citing two undisclosed sources.
A drone struck in the Michurinsky district of the region at around 0:40 a.m. local time, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished, Governor Maxim Egorov said on his Telegram channel.
Saudi Arabia’s planned oil production hike may not break Russia’s petro-export-fueled economy, but escalations between Israel and Iran could be a gold rush for Moscow. Since late 2022, the OPEC oil cartel, of which Russia is a member, has withheld oil production and exports to prevent a surplus
Russia's "shadow fleet" of older and poorly insured tankers transports 70% of the country's seaborne exports, according to an analysis published by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Insititute on Oct. 14.
Ukrainian troops in cooperation with the intelligence service (HUR) struck a depot containing oil and petroleum products used by the Russian military near the town of Rovenky, Luhansk Oblast.
Key developments on Oct. 4: * Oil depots on fire in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, Perm Krai * Russian forces less than 7 km away from Pokrovsk, authorities say * At least 177 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian captivity, Kyiv says * EU readies to sanction Iran over missile shipments to Russia, Bloomberg reports
Russia is greatly reliant on oil and gas exports, which have represented almost one-third of the country's total federal revenue in 2023 and 42% in 2022. Fossil fuel profits thus play a key role in funding Russia's expensive war machine in Ukraine.
The U.K. has sanctioned 10 Russian vessels that are part of the "shadow fleet" of ships that transport Russian oil around the world, the U.K. Foreign Office announced on Sept. 11.
The older vessels, which are also poorly maintained, have undeclared owners and questionable insurance, make up the majority of Russian oil transportation due to Western sanctions, according to Bloomberg.
Russian crude exports to Hungary and Slovakia remained within norms in July as the sanctioned Lukoil oil was offset by supplies from another Russian company, Tatneft, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 27, citing an undisclosed source.
Ukrainian drones operated by military intelligence (HUR) and the Special Operation Forces hit an oil depot in Russia's Rostov Oblast on Aug. 28, setting it on fire, a HUR source confirmed for the Kyiv Independent.
The Rostov Oblast government told the media that as of Aug. 22 morning, the number of injured firefighters had risen to 49
Budapest is close to finalizing talks on "balanced" oil supply after Ukraine blocked the transit of Russian oil through the Lukoil pipeline, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Aug. 21 after a government meeting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Baku on Aug. 18 for a two-day visit for talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The trip marks Putin's first visit to the capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
SLB, the world's largest oilfield services company, signed new government contracts and posted over 1,000 job postings in Russia within the last year.
According to data seen by Reuters, five Western insurance companies have continued providing services to Russian oil tankers, despite concerns that most Russian oil is still being traded above the $60 per barrel price cap.
Hungary will not face oil shortages due to Ukraine's decision to block Lukoil PJSC's crude transit, according to Zsolt Hernadi, CEO of Hungarian oil and gas conglomerate MOL Group.
Kyiv is open to participating in consultations with the European Union on the transit of Russian Lukoil's oil if Brussels decides to use "an appropriate mechanism," Heorhii Tykhyi, Foreign Ministry's spokesman, said on July 30.
Earlier in the morning of July 30, Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov claimed that air defenses in the oblast had intercepted four Ukrainian missiles.
In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions blocking the transit of pipeline oil from Lukoil to Central Europe to cut off the Kremlin's source of income used to support its military.
The Slovak leadership also threatened unspecified repercussions against Ukraine, reminding Slovakia's key role as an electricity supplier amid Ukraine's energy deficit.
Ukrainian authorities charged pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk in absentia with illegal seizure of the Samara-Western direction oil pipeline several years ago, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on July 24.
The Indonesian state-owned refinery Pertamina has included Russian crude oil grades in its September tender lists for purchase, Reuters reported on July 23, citing three traders.
"The Commission has three days to execute our request, after which we will bring the issue to court," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, calling Ukraine's decision "an unacceptable move," which "violates the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement."
The restrictions have created supply shortages in Budapest, which depends on Russia for 70% of its oil supply, with Lukoil providing half of that volume, according to Politico.
London imposed sanctions on 11 more tankers that help Russia carry oil to third countries on July 18, the U.K. government announced.
