The Kremlin's aggression continues to cost the Russians dearly

 

Exports of oil and petroleum products from Russia in December 2023 increased by 500,000 barrels per day compared to November to a total of 7.8 million barrels per day, but sales revenue decreased by $1.4 billion, due to falling oil prices and an increase in Russian discount sale of Urals, according to the report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In particular, India - at 200,000 barrels per day, Latin America - at 100,000 barrels per day enabled the increase in purchases of Russian oil and oil derivatives in December.

However, deliveries to China fell by 400,000 barrels per day last month.

According to IEA data, oil production in the Russian Federation decreased by 20,000 barrels per day in December to 9.48 million barrels per day, compared to November.

The agency estimated that production of liquid hydrocarbons in the Russian Federation averaged 10.96 million barrels per day in 2023, down 130,000 barrels per day from 2022 levels.

This year, the IEA expects production in the Russian Federation at the level of 10.84 million barrels per day.

In December, Russians bought dollars and euros worth about two billion dollars.

 

In December, the population achieved a record net purchase of currency in 2023 of 179 billion rubles, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation announced.

Slightly more than half of people bought on the stock exchange (for 90.2 billion rubles), the rest - through the largest banks (for 88.8 billion).

Almost all purchased currencies are dollars and euros.

Significant sums, as before, end up in accounts in foreign banks: 95.2 billion rubles in November, or more than one billion dollars.

In November, Russian households bought 53 billion rubles of money, and almost 30 billion more were withdrawn from their accounts, and the total volume of these operations turned out to be the maximum since the crisis of March 2022 (there are no data for December yet).

 

 Russia has problems not only with planes, but also with airports.

Airplanes in Russia began to be systematically withdrawn from the runway, and pilots are massively complaining about the unsatisfactory conditions at the airports.

Mass complaints about the runways come from Aeroflot pilots. The company notes an increase in the number of reports from pilots about unsatisfactory airport preparation, which can lead to overruns at airports and damage to the sides of the aircraft.

 

In a month, four planes landed by the runway.

 

The supply of pellets from Russia continued to decline in 2023.

Production of pellets (fuel pellets from waste after wood processing) and their export from Russia in 2023 continued to decline as a result of EU sanctions.

The supply of pellets abroad in 2023 was reduced by 47 percent compared to the previous year to 950,000 tons.

The production of pellets in Russia last year was reduced by 30 percent compared to the level of 2022 to 1.86 million tons.

The production and export of pellets began to decline after the introduction of EU sanctions in the summer of 2022.

Europe was the main export market for the Russian forest industry, including pellet producers.

 

"Obsolete technology." China has labeled Putin's hypersonic "wonder missiles" ineffective.

Chinese military experts gave a low rating to the "Dagger" hypersonic missiles.

The Kh-47M2 "Dagger" missiles were vulnerable to missiles developed in the 1970s by the US, such as the Patriot systems, or, according to Ukrainian and US military reports, simply did not hit targets, according to the text of the Shanghai-based military magazine Ordnance Industry Science and Technology, whose publications are approved at the level of the Communist Party of China and the National Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China.

An analysis published in the leading Beijing-based military science journal Military Arms called the Dagger “effectively just an aircraft version of the Iskander tactical land-based ballistic missile.

"Dagger" is a "fast" project - an offshoot of "Iskander", it is based on "outdated technology of the 1980s", according to the Shanghai magazine.

 

At the end of January, Moldova will buy the first batch of LNG from the USA.

At the end of January, Moldova plans to buy the first contingent of LNG delivered from the USA at the terminal in Alexandroupolis, Greece, Moldovan Energy Minister Viktor Parlikov emphasized in the Jurnal TV show.

"We will buy LNG next week directly from the ship that brings gas from the USA, while I cannot say the exact price, it will be around 300 euros for 1,000 cubic meters. We will get LNG through Greece, using the LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis", said the minister.

The LNG will be delivered by ship to the LPG terminal in Alexandroupolis, Greece.

 

The government of Estonia is seeking an opportunity to limit the right to vote in local elections to citizens of Russia and Belarus living in that country, the prime minister said.

 

According to announcements, the Ministry of Justice will analyze the situation and present the option of how to do it by changing the constitution.

 

The Baltic countries propose that grain from Russia be included in the EU sanctions package.

The Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania, Marius Skoudis, announced after a meeting with his Latvian and Estonian colleagues that the Baltic countries support the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian grains in the EU sanctions package.

 

Deportation of Russian citizens has begun in Latvia.

 

In Latvia, the process of deportation of 985 citizens of the Russian Federation, who did not meet the requirements of the immigration law, did not pass the Latvian language test and did not apply for another type of residence permit, has begun, reports LSM.

It is noted that letters were sent to these people with a request to leave the country within two weeks or to adjust their legal status in Latvia.

 

There will be no athletes from the Russian Federation at the World Aquatics Championships to be held in February in Doha, Qatar. This was announced by the World Aquatics Federation.

At the same time, it is noted that five athletes who previously competed for Belarus will participate in the competition.