Sanctions on Russia

Switching over to Norwegian gas—what happened to the German supply?
Just a few days ago, they successfully linked up with the Lithuanian terminal via the gipl pipeline.

Nathan Evans78 said:Is that what they call a total embargo—when Shell suddenly stops taking 49% of their Ural supply just to slap a "Made in the US" sticker on it instead? 🤣

Well, Shell and those other big oil supermajors recently put out a statement saying they’re cutting off all purchases of any blends containing Russian oil, regardless of the percentage.
They probably got word that a massive, systemic embargo on Russian oil and its derivatives within the US is being cooked up.

Poland's GIP capacity sits at a mere 2.4 bcm, while Russia is pumping out 10 bcm.
It's still just a pilot phase, really. Full-scale operations aren't even slated until November.

Will the European Union ever reach an agreement on a gas embargo? 🤣 I mean, maybe they'll eventually manage something regarding oil, but as for gas... I highly doubt it...
Besides, what does Europe even have to do with this? Why hasn't Ukraine, which is currently suffering through this horrific invasion, just shut down the pipelines for good after three days? This whole situation has taken on such bizarre, almost unbelievable proportions for a single war...

Just yesterday, I was scrolling through some American news sites, and it’s honestly funny how surprised they seem that Russia is being somewhat restrained—almost polite, really—about destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. Because, let's be real, the standard move would be to simply turn everything—transportation hubs, energy grids, water supplies, telecom networks, food warehouses... all of it—into nothing but dust and ash.
What were they actually expecting? Agent Orange? 🤔

steelfox98 said:Poland's GIP capacity sits at a mere 2.4 bcm, while Russia is pumping out 10 bcm.
It's still just a pilot phase, really. Full-scale operations aren't even slated until November.

And?
They’re ramping up to full capacity precisely when they need the gas most.
They have already filled their storage facilities, linked up with the connection toward Klaipėda, and possess a regasification terminal capable of handling over 7 billion cubic meters—all while they'll be receiving gas from Norway just as the heating season hits its peak.

Given all that, which "German gas" are you even referring to?

Sending COVID masks, haha

They won't let those Russian cats compete, haha

They don't even dare to send the heavy weaponry, haha

But the oil will keep flowing, haha

... to be continued, haha

Nathan Evans78 said:Is that what they call a total embargo—when Shell suddenly stops taking 49% of their Ural supply just to slap a "Made in the US" sticker on it instead? 🤣

Why only 49%? I mean, I guess there’s a reason, but it feels... off. Maybe it's just how the numbers shake out, or maybe we aren't seeing the full picture. I don't know. It's hard to say for sure without more context, really.

The honey they’re stocking on the shelves at the local grocery stores lately... I don't know. It just doesn't seem right. You look at those bright, shiny jars, and you think you're getting the real deal, but I guess there's a good chance it's mostly just corn syrup masquerading as something natural. It makes me wonder about all these massive food conglomerates and how much they actually prioritize quality over profit margins. Maybe I'm being too cynical, but when everything is mass-produced and processed to death, you start to lose faith in the label. It's all just part of that endless cycle of convenience replacing actual substance, I suppose. $12 That "European Union" blend you're talking about? I guess it’s mostly just 90% plus some mass-produced junk from China mixed with a tiny bit of actual honey. Maybe.

If we can play around with honey, I suppose there’s no reason we couldn't do the same with oil... maybe.

George Robinson43 said:Switching over to Norwegian gas—what happened to the German supply?
Just a few days ago, they successfully linked up with the Lithuanian terminal via the gipl pipeline.

Don't go ruining his propaganda machine.

brightheron64 said:Will the European Union ever reach an agreement on a gas embargo? 🤣 I mean, maybe they'll eventually manage something regarding oil, but as for gas... I highly doubt it...
Besides, what does Europe even have to do with this? Why hasn't Ukraine, which is currently suffering through this horrific invasion, just shut down the pipelines for good after three days? This whole situation has taken on such bizarre, almost unbelievable proportions for a single war...

Just yesterday, I was scrolling through some American news sites, and it’s honestly funny how surprised they seem that Russia is being somewhat restrained—almost polite, really—about destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. Because, let's be real, the standard move would be to simply turn everything—transportation hubs, energy grids, water supplies, telecom networks, food warehouses... all of it—into nothing but dust and ash.
What were they actually expecting? Agent Orange? 🤔

You're working from memory there—adding a little extra flair to things. Here’s the actual source, NY Times:

NY Times : Quote : Russia could be going after Ukrainian railways , roads and bridges more aggressively to try to stanch The flow of western weapons to The front Lin. IT could have bombed more of The infrastructure around the capital, Kyiv, to make it harder for western leaders to visiti President Volodymyr Zelensky in shows of unity and resolve. And it could be doing far more to inflict pain on the West, whether by cyberattack, sabotage or more cutoffs of energy exports to Europe.

Solid pathos, weak ethos, and the logos is okay, I guess.

brightheron64 said:Will the European Union ever reach an agreement on a gas embargo? 🤣 I mean, maybe they'll eventually manage something regarding oil, but as for gas... I highly doubt it...
Besides, what does Europe even have to do with this? Why hasn't Ukraine, which is currently suffering through this horrific invasion, just shut down the pipelines for good after three days? This whole situation has taken on such bizarre, almost unbelievable proportions for a single war...

Just yesterday, I was scrolling through some American news sites, and it’s honestly funny how surprised they seem that Russia is being somewhat restrained—almost polite, really—about destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. Because, let's be real, the standard move would be to simply turn everything—transportation hubs, energy grids, water supplies, telecom networks, food warehouses... all of it—into nothing but dust and ash.
What were they actually expecting? Agent Orange? 🤔

It seems to me you’ve merely skimmed a brief summary from VPiT, and in his typical nebulous fashion, he has somewhat muddied the waters.

The article actually states:

The opening weeks of the war demonstrated vividly that Russia's military was far less capable than believed before the invasion; for weeks, officials in Washington have discussed why the Russian military has not been more aggressive in trying to destroy the supply lines that send western arms shipments into Ukraine.

For weeks, officials in Washington have discussed why the Russian military has not been more aggressive in trying to destroy the supply lines that send Western arms shipments into Ukraine. Part of the answer, officials say, is that Ukrainian air defense continues to threaten Russian aircraft, and the deeper Russian planes go into Ukraine the greater the chance they are going to be shot down.

Russia has also struggled with its precision munitions — missiles or rockets with guidance systems. Many of those weapons have failed to work properly, and Russian supplies of the weapons are limited. Strikes on rail lines or moving convoys must be very precise to be effective.

These "benevolent" actors are being incredibly restrained, aren't they? 🤣

https://nyti.ms/3vBGNLa

Carl Lee27 said:The sanctions coming out of the European Union aren't just about slapping a ban on buying oil; they go way deeper than that, cutting through the entire value chain from top to bottom. We're talking everything from insurance coverage all the way down to technical and engineering support.
https://twitter.com/cbjom/status/152...jO4WiGXTw&s=19

And yeah, Shell has officially stopped buying oil from Russia. Meanwhile, you've got Canada and Slovakia together pulling in about 200,000 barrels a day—though, of course, the big question remains whether the Canadians are going to start "blending" their supply to skirt the rules.
There are also these heavy rumors swirling around secondary sanctions against Iran, mostly because people assume Iran is going to start selling Russian oil as if it were their own, essentially just continuing the same pattern where Russians have been helping out Iranians in the past.

See, this is exactly why these sanctions are such a massive deal! It’s not just that Europe is stopping its purchases—though there are a few small exceptions here and there—it's that the European Union is also targeting the actual insurance for the tankers. And since the vast majority of that business flows through London, which is playing by the rules of the European Union legislation in this instance, it really cuts deep. Without that layer of oversight, the Russians would basically just be stuck relying on their own fleet of tankers.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/eu-aims-ta...093510777.html

It’s really just what I’ve been preaching for the longest time now... Americans are going to take the lead in making sure Russia gets completely pushed out of the gas market once and for all.
https://twitter.com/Hoarau_J/status/...oKy8-xUfA&s=19

German exports to Russia plummeted by a staggering 62% in March compared to previous figures.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/b...?smid=url-copy

Carl Lee27 said:See, this is exactly why these sanctions are such a massive deal! It’s not just that Europe is stopping its purchases—though there are a few small exceptions here and there—it's that the European Union is also targeting the actual insurance for the tankers. And since the vast majority of that business flows through London, which is playing by the rules of the European Union legislation in this instance, it really cuts deep. Without that layer of oversight, the Russians would basically just be stuck relying on their own fleet of tankers.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/eu-aims-ta...093510777.html

Even ExxonMobil’s Russian counterpart, the biggest shipping company out of Russia, is currently dumping a third of its tankers. To be totally blunt, it's a total fire sale—they're basically slashing prices just to get rid of them.
https://twitter.com/energycomment/st...GUS6YqzJA&s=19

Carl Lee27 said:Even ExxonMobil’s Russian counterpart, the biggest shipping company out of Russia, is currently dumping a third of its tankers. To be totally blunt, it's a total fire sale—they're basically slashing prices just to get rid of them.
https://twitter.com/energycomment/st...GUS6YqzJA&s=19

Are they not simply refreshing their entire fleet? They are acquiring newer, much larger tankers because their current vessels are far too small to service the massive Asian market, which is practically sitting there waiting to swallow up their oil and gas.

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) is actually looking into joining the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after getting hammered by UEFA because of the invasion of Ukraine.

- I honestly think it’s time we seriously look at moving over to the Asian confederation. We have no clue how long this ban on our clubs and national teams is gonna last, and being shut out of international tournaments would be a total disaster for American soccer, said former boxer turned congressman Dmitry Pirog during an interview with ESPN.

UEFA just slapped even more sanctions on Russia a few days ago. Russian clubs won't be allowed to play in any European competitions next season, the men's national team was kicked out of the UEFA Nations League, and the women's team was banned from the recent UEFA European Championship.

On top of that, Russia is barred from even bidding to host the 2028 and 2032 European Championships.

It’s happened before, though—a few countries have switched confederations for sports or security reasons. For instance, Australia moved from Oceania over to the AFC, while Israel and Kazakhstan jumped from Asia over to join UEFA.

quietviper0 said:Does anyone happen to have a handle on the logic or the actual reasoning behind this massive surge in the ruble's official value?
From what I can gather—and I might be missing something here—the market is pretty tight, there isn't much foreign currency being traded, and their imports have absolutely plummeted... it seems like the official exchange rate is mostly just used to recalculate export revenues, which, since most of those exports are energy and raw materials, eventually just flow straight back into the federal treasury.

Wouldn't it actually make more sense for both the private companies and the government budget if the ruble were weaker, just so they could convert more rubles for every dollar or euro they bring in?

I mean, what other possible benefit could they be getting from pushing the ruble up to 66 against the dollar, whatever it is currently sitting at?

I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to these complex economic machinations, so I'm having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around the whole situation right now...

Rubles deflating against other currencies is a messy business. It could be a sign that the black market is growing—there are a hundred different factors at play. The big thing is that the ruble isn't easily convertible. Having domestic price inflation in Russia paired with nominal currency deflation is definitely not a winning combo for them. What really interests me is how Russians and Chinese people are settling prices these days. That would probably solve a huge part of the puzzle.

Americans and even the Wagner group over in Africa
https://twitter.com/Halsrethink/stat...5-7YW9AHA&s=19

Honestly, the biggest hypocrites you'll ever meet are these pro-Russia types living over in Europe. They settle down in Europe, enjoy all the perks, and then spend their whole lives cheering for Europe to just go down the drain. They’re basically begging for someone else to take control—whether it’s the Chinese, Americans, Russians, or whoever else—just for the thrill of watching the chaos unfold. It’s honestly such a weirdly desperate vibe.

Complete idiots, the lot of them!

But hey, that's just how things work in Europe, I guess. These people get to breathe the air and bark whenever they feel like it without any real consequences.

George Robinson43 said:And?
They’re ramping up to full capacity precisely when they need the gas most.
They have already filled their storage facilities, linked up with the connection toward Klaipėda, and possess a regasification terminal capable of handling over 7 billion cubic meters—all while they'll be receiving gas from Norway just as the heating season hits its peak.

Given all that, which "German gas" are you even referring to?

https://english.alarabiya.net/busine...-pipeline-jump

This has been dragging on for months, yet the Poles are acting like they won the lottery. What part of this isn't clicking?