The governor of Russia's Lipetsk region demanded that oil companies stop lying and concealing information about disruptions to fuel supplies to the region. (Comment from me: not like that will actually bring more fuel to the region). "It is unacceptable for company representatives to claim at ⤵️

China's energy imports from Russia, volume, 2025 vs 2024 Crude oil -7% Oil products -24% Coal -7% LNG +17% I guess e.g. imports of Russian crude have hit their ceiling, more or less.

Tajikistan's environmentally disastrous dam of corruption, now in its 50th year of construction, reports tens of millions of dollars in losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in 'missing' funds. Same as it ever was! eurasianet.org/audit-raises...

Audit raises lots of financial questions about Tajikistan’s Rogun Dam project

Review issues caution about Rogun’s future as ‘going concern.’

eurasianet.org

9/So what is Europe to do? Not this...It has to wake up and understand that an alternative international order is being put on the table. It is not based on rules but hierarchy and extraction. Tepid finger waging will lead to domination. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

EU affirms ‘principles of national sovereignty’ in cautious response to Trump Greenland threats – Europe live

European Commission spokesperson also declines to rule on whether US intervention in Venezuela was legal

theguardian.com

“Socotra’s unique form of statehood requires a reference point to the outside world. The labels attached to it are less important than the reality of preserving it.”

Maximilian Hess@maxhess.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Amid reports that ≈400 (!) tourists are stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra, amid Saudi-UAE proxy fights in Yemen, time to reshare this piece I wrote about visiting the island 4 years ago and what de facto Emirati control means for the place & its inhabitants inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...

Amid reports that ≈400 (!) tourists are stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra, amid Saudi-UAE proxy fights in Yemen, time to reshare this piece I wrote about visiting the island 4 years ago and what de facto Emirati control means for the place & its inhabitants inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...

The Socotri Sovereignty Soliloquy

Breaking down the borders between state, society, and sovereignty on the island where trees bleed.

inkstickmedia.com

Russia signed a treaty to defend Venezuela just two months ago but its crickets this morning from the Kremlin. Utter humiliation and evidence of just how weak it is globally.

Your regular reminder that any Western comopany reporting its assets in Russia as not marked down to 0 for the last 3 years has been essentially defrauding its investors www.ft.com/content/616d...

Putin’s retaliation threat over frozen assets rattles EU capitals

Italy, Belgium and Austria worry about Russia moving against their companies

ft.com

Given Putin is obviously going to reject the peace deal (but try and blame it on Kyiv and Europe), more sanctions should be the base case even from the Trump Admin - as I have long argued - rather than the shock so many treated it as in October and will again soon www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

US Readies New Russia Sanctions If Putin Rejects Peace Deal

The US is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, according to people f...

bloomberg.com

The most British way of fighting the British

Trump’s Special Representative for Belarus John Coale announced after meeting Lukashenko that Washington will lift sanctions on Belarusian Potash. It’s the second step in the Trump Admin’s easing strategy after sanctions on the airline Belavia were lifted. zerkalo-access.space/news/economi...

США снимают санкции с беларусского калия

«Мы снимаем санкции, освобождаем заключенных. Мы постоянно говорим друг с другом».

zerkalo-access.space

Kazakhmys to be sold, the first potential ding to the major oligarchs outside Nazarbayev family since de-Nazarbayevification? Ogay & Kim the old controlling shareholders are longtime regime insiders, theyre also key stakeholders in the larger KAZ Minerals www.mining.com/web/kazakhmy...

Kazakhmys says it will have new controlling shareholder

Company ranks 20th in the world in terms of copper concentrate production.

mining.com

Trump Admin extends sanctions deadline for sale of Lukoil's foreign assets by just over one month, until 17 January www.reuters.com/business/aut...

US allows negotiations on Lukoil's foreign assets until January 17

The United States on Wednesday extended a deadline for negotiations on buying the global assets of Russian oil company Lukoil by a little over a month to January 17.

reuters.com

I see the ‘defenders of free speech’ are hard at work www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

US Plans to Mandate Social Media Checks for Visa-Free Visitors

The US is proposing that foreign visitors provide their social media history over the last five years to enter the country, including those from Australia, Germany, Japan and the UK who can now enter ...

bloomberg.com

Congress NDAA is 2,5k pages but in general seems total opoosition of WH. Bill locks in long-term support for Ukraine, mandates troop levels in Europe, and codifies the Baltic Security Initiative as US strategy hardens against russia. www.kyivpost.com/post/65767

Excellent review & essay by @newlefteviews.bsky.social on thinking about capitalism's role today, including this key reminder that the global economic order is itself responsible for the domestic challenges to it in the US that risk undermining its key patron www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2025/1...

How not to talk about capitalism

The more it penetrates our daily lives, the less we seem to understand the “system that runs the world”

newstatesman.com

this is the Dr. Strangelove War Room

Jerad Walker@jeradwalker.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Let me introduce you to the very real executive boardroom at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Meh this is just the license for the retail stations, not sale of the oversees assets

Half-Brick McCurdy@halfbrickmccurdy.bsky.social · 8mo ago

To those folk saying the latest round of US/Russia talks achieved nothing, delaying the full imposition of US sanctions on Lukoil until April next year is definitely a something.

To those folk saying the latest round of US/Russia talks achieved nothing, delaying the full imposition of US sanctions on Lukoil until April next year is definitely a something.

Stanimir Dobrev@delfoo.bsky.social · 8mo ago

OFAC extended the time during which financial transaction may still be done with Lukoil International GmbH till April 29th 2026... GUYS WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE!?!?!? www.kommersant.ru/doc/8251862

Can anyone recommend some books on Guinea-Conakry? Preferably ones that aren’t just about Sekou Toure

Lelo Party member Aleko Elisashvili was arrested this morning. According to the MIA, last night Aleko Elisashvili used a hammer to break the window of Tbilisi City Hall’s chancellery, entered the building, poured gasoline on documents, and attempted to set them on fire. 1/

Congrats to @joannalillis.bsky.social on the London launch of Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan

OFAC clarifies that it is Trump Admin’s policy that it will only approve of sales of Lukoil International’s assets (which Gunvor was willing to pay $22 billion for) if that sale does not see money actually flow to Lukoil while sanctions on Lukoil remain ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/1224

Cab driver in Zimbabwe started spontaneously telling me about how he hates Russia for what they’ve done to Ukraine #TakeThatThomasFriedman

Off to South Africa, Zimbabwe, E-Swatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia for the next 20 Days. Don't @ me please. :)

Big weeks in sanctions developments, but the fate of Lukoil's proposed sale of its foreign assets to Gunvor and belatedly sanctions-afflicted refiner NIS in Serbia will set major precedents, more from me here: conflictandcredit.substack.com/p/sanctions-...

Sanctions Swords of Damocles hang over Lukoil International & Serbia's NIS

A deal laden with political risks, and precedent potential in Belgrade

conflictandcredit.substack.com

башня Татлина жив! Но, в Англии (Tatlin’s tower lives, but in England…)

Quite the geo-economic day in the Caucasus, Russia ships oil to refinery in Georgia for the first time (Georgia didn't have a refinery before) Kazakh wheat shipped via Azerbaijan to Armenia, a first since USSR's collapse t.co/31RbvV2HC4 t.co/msA5cowQvx

Georgian authorities have arrested five Russian nationals involved in a suspected wide-reaching illegal scheme using cryptocurrency. oc-media.org/five-russian...

Five Russians arrested in Georgia over alleged money laundering, crypto scheme

The operation reportedly involved the unregulated trade of ‘hundreds of millions of lari’.

oc-media.org

Georgian government has raided home of ex prosecutor general Partskhaladze (US sanctioned for working with FSB), i former head of the State Security Service Liluashvili & former two time premier Irakli Gharibashvili Falling out been rumored for a while… but wow tvpirveli.ge/ka/siaxleebi...

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