Tuesday, September 10, 2024

175 - The #VVHG725 #AE4FE2 USN MH-60R Strike Hawk after Kearsarge left Baltic Sea

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GUARDING RUSSIAN CHOKE-POINT
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USA: Anti-submarine, anti-surface, and electronic warfare. 
Off the coast of Kaliningrad

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27-09-2022


26-09-2022


25-09-2022


24-09-2022

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21-09-2022

20-09-2022




Kearsarge leaves Baltic Sea

US Naval forces sudently withdrew


19-09-2022 Kearsarge leaves PL, Gdynia

18-09-2022 Kearsarge in Gdynia




29 Sept 2022 - UK: Nord Stream attacks highlight vulnerability of undersea pipelines in west

“We keep a constant watch on movements out of Kaliningrad and the Kola peninsula,” a Nordic military official said, referring to two centres of Russian naval activity. The official described them as “choke points”, where Russian submarines would have to pass through a relatively narrow sea passage to reach the Baltic and North Atlantic.


RELATED NEWS:

22 Sept 2022 - USA: USA withdraws large fleet from the Baltic sea 

Port visit of the “Kearsarge” in the Polish naval port of Gdynia last Wednesday. The visit to Poland marked the end of the Baltic Sea presence of the large battle group around the 40,000-ton carrier.

One day after Russia announced partial mobilization, the USA is withdrawing its amphibious battle group from the Baltic Sea. But the withdrawal is said to have a completely different reason.

September 22, 2022, 12:31 p.m

Kiel. Shortly before 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, a large US combat group passed through the Fehmarnbelt. The direction of travel was out of the Baltic Sea. The “Kearsarge” battle group has fulfilled its mission.

26 Sept 2022 - USA: The American guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) 

of the Arleigh Burke class entered the port of Gdynia. The purpose of the visit, which lasted only a few hours, was to recreate combat readiness.

29 Sept 2022 - USA: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, @SecDef: I was excited to see some of the latest innovations in unmanned underwater and unmanned surface vehicles at @MCASMiramarCA this morning.

29 Sept 2022 - NATO/EU: Margaritis Schinas, @EU_Commission Vice-President: A pleasure to visit NATO’s Maritime Interdiction Operational Centre at Souda Bay in Crete. @NATO is our natural partner. Cooperation with like-minded partners key against hybrid influencing.


Focus on situational awareness, strategic communication, cybersecurity and resilience.
29 Sept 2022 - USA: CNN reports that: "Russian submarines were also observed not far from those areas last week, one of the intelligence officials said."

CNN’s Alex Marquardt and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.:

 

 [MRT: Given the daily ASW there was either submarine or this report is very untrue, it is possible that hose ASW helicopters did catch something under but it was not RU asset]

30 Sept 2022 - USA: NOPF Dam Neck Changes Name to Theater Undersea Surveillance Command Atlantic

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Dam Neck officially changed its name to Theater Undersea Surveillance Command Atlantic (TUSC LANT) during a ceremony held at the command on Sept. 30, 2022.

TUSC LANT is one of several Integrated Undersea Surveillance Systems (IUSS) commands under Commander Undersea Surveillance, conducting continuous maritime surveillance for undersea domain awareness. These IUSS commands provide timely and accurate acoustic intelligence reporting and cueing to all theater undersea warfare commanders using fixed, mobile, and deployable assets across the world.

5 Oct 2022 - USA: US considering offering to analyse underwater audio recordings to aid Nord Stream pipeline sabotage investigations

The US Navy’s processing of the sonar signatures – the term for the unique underwater sounds – provided by Sweden and Denmark could boost the investigations by providing a more detailed picture of what was in the area at the time of the pipeline explosions and what caused them, sources said... Each type of underwater machinery like submarines, torpedoes and vessel engines makes a unique sound that is called a “sonar signature,” and the US has an extensive library of these sounds.

 13 Oct 2022 - Kearsarge ARG Returns after Deployment in the High North and Baltic Sea

Sailors and Marines assigned to the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) returned home to Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia after completing a seven-month deployment in the Sixth Fleet area of operations, Oct. 13.

“From March to September of this year, we safely executed more than 12 major exercises and bilateral training opportunities. Together, the Kearsarge ARG-MEU operated alongside NATO Allies and partners in port and underway demonstrating solidarity, maintaining a high level of readiness, and preserving security and stability in our operating regions..."

While operating in the Baltic region, Kearsarge and the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) participated in an Estonian-led exercise, Hedgehog (Siil) 22 with Estonian Defense Forces and forces from Task Group 61/2.4 and the NATO-led exercise, Neptune Shield which incorporate 18 NATO Allies and partners working together through multiple domains throughout the European continent and waters.

In June, Kearsarge and Gunston Hall participated in the joint, annual multinational exercise, Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 22 designed to enhance interoperability, capability, and demonstrate cohesion among Allied and Partner forces in defending the Baltic Sea region.

The Kearsarge ARG-MEU team returned to the Baltic region as a combined force to continue strengthening relationships and partnerships. Through rapid planning, coordination, and execution, the ARG-MEU team successfully completed bilateral training events with Finland, Sweden, and Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 during the months of August and September.

18 Oct 2022 - USA: Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks Visits Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Deputy Secretary Hicks visited Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific today to see the Navy's most cutting-edge, multi-domain unmanned technologies and command-and-control programs, especially as they relate to operations in the Indo-Pacific. 

Among the unmanned technologies she viewed, was "Sea Hunter" – an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV) launched in 2016 as part of the DARPA Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program to discuss advancements, challenges, and strategic advantages of autonomous technology and machine learning capabilities.

She also received a briefing on the Navy's Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) program, "Project Overmatch,"to continue her two-day look into service-specific strengths and challenges which impact JADC2 implementation across the joint force.

Sea Hunter - Sea Hunter is an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV) - Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) , mine-countermeasure, EO/IR - electro-optical & infrared sensors, submarine detection capabilities. 

Summary:

The NOR blew a whistle
The USA evaluated the situation and recalled their naval forces from the Baltic sea.
After US Navy withdrew it still operated there with ASW to get own data on RU assets.

[MRT: The reason was to have operational data
which do not go through NATO MARCOM,
shared intelligence,
but directly to US HQ in Norfolk.
The USA preffered own security over that of its allies]



181 - The Poseidon P8A submarine hunting aircraft flights from 21-09-2022 to 26-09-2022 

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I decided to open it for free, no paywall, despite huge investment.
Because the truth matters.
Please consider supporting my work with a donation.

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Monday, September 9, 2024

174 - October 2022 - Putin: Gas spot price change caused 2% loss of European GDP



SUMMARY:

During the Russian Energy Week, Putin attributed the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline to entities aiming to destabilize Europe and profit from elevated energy prices. 

He specifically pointed to increased LNG exports from the US and criticized Europe's misguided energy policies as key factors exacerbating the crisis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Accusations of Terrorism: Putin directly implicated unnamed actors in committing international terrorism by sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines, an act aimed at undermining Europe's energy security and forcing reliance on more costly energy alternatives.

Economic Impact on Europe: He underscored the significant economic repercussions for Europe, estimating a potential 2% reduction in GDP due to rising spot gas prices. 3

Beneficiaries of the Sabotage: Putin suggested that the UK and US gained from the sabotage—enjoying geopolitical benefits and increased shares in the energy market, respectively.

Russia's Gas Supply Commitment: He reiterated Russia's readiness to continue supplying gas through the intact Nord Stream infrastructure, shifting the responsibility for the crisis onto the EU.

Critique of European Energy Policies: Putin disparaged Europe's energy strategies, including over-dependence on renewables and spot market pricing, labeling them as self-inflicted wounds that have worsened the crisis.

Rejection of Blame: He dismissed any accusations of Russia's role in the energy crisis, attributing the situation to the actions and policies adopted by European nations. 6

Gas Supply Restrictions: Furthermore, Russia has made it clear that it will not supply gas to countries that impose price caps.

DATA:


12 Oct 2022 - RU: Russian Energy Week International Forum plenary session

I would like to welcome all the participants and guests of Russian Energy Week, a respected and recognised platform for dialogue on key global energy topics.

Such direct and transparent communication is essential now, when the global economy in general, the fuel and energy sector are in the middle of, let me be direct, an acute crisis due to unstable price dynamics of energy resources, an imbalance in supply and demand, and the overtly subversive actions of individual market participants, who are guided solely by their own geopolitical ambitions, resort to outright discrimination in the market, and if that does not work, they simply destroy the infrastructure of their competitors.

[MRT: Indirectly stated - the one state which did it imposed sanctions and has geopolitical ambitions. This profile suits Uk - it is a gas producer and tries to implement so called "Global Britain" strategy.] 

In this case, I am of course talking about the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. There is no doubt that this is an act of international terrorism, the purpose of which is to undermine the energy security of the entire continent.

The logic is cynical: to destroy and block cheap energy sources, hence depriving millions of people, industrial consumers of gas, heat, electricity and other resources and forcing them to buy all this at much higher prices. Forcing.


The attack on the Nord Streams has set an extremely dangerous precedent, which shows that any critical piece of transport, energy or communications infrastructure is under threat, regardless of its location, management or whether it lies on the seabed or on land.

It was proven by, well, it may not be the right place to talk about this, as Russian Energy Week is not directly related. However, I must say that it was proven by the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge committed by Ukrainian intelligence. I have already said that the Kiev regime has long resorted to terrorist methods, organising political assassinations, ethnic purges and crackdowns on civilians. They upload results on the internet, and then realise it was a mistake and immediately delete them. But the content stays online. They do not stop at nuclear terrorism either, specifically the shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, terrorist attacks near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia and, of course, sabotage attempts against TurkStream.

[MRT: See another post here: About The forgotten attack on Turk Stream and about UK Tackling Russian income from hydrocarbons] 

I would like to repeat that there is solid documented evidence. These crimes were plotted and ordered by the end beneficiaries seeking instability and conflicts.

And who stands behind the sabotage against the Nord Streams? Clearly, those who want to completely sever ties between Russia and the European Union, to fully undermine and crush Europe’s political agency, weaken its industrial potential and seize the market. And, of course, those who – I want to stress it – have the technical capacity to organise such explosions and in fact have committed similar sabotage in the past and were caught red-handed but evaded punishment.

The beneficiaries are well known.
I believe no specific details are necessary since the remaining gas systems will acquire greater geopolitical significance. They stretch across Poland (Yamal‒Europe), and Ukraine, the two pipelines that Russia once built with its own money. And, of course, the United States, which will now be able to supply energy resources at high rates.

[MRT: The USA is beneficiary but does not seem to be the perpetrator]

As they say, in decent companies, this is “highly likely.” Everything is clear. It is obvious who stands behind this and who stands to gain.

Now it is possible to impose large volumes of LNG from the United States on European countries, LNG which is obviously less competitive than Russian pipeline gas. After all, the price of American LNG is much higher, and this was common knowledge before. Now the difference is even greater and there are additional risks. The risks lie in high instability – any supplies may float away to other countries. Incidentally, we watched this happen quite recently, when American tankers carrying LNG to Europe turned around halfway and changed their destinations because LNG sellers were offered a higher price elsewhere. They ignored the interests of their European customers.

I would like to recall who helped Europe at that time and sent additional gas supplies to the European market. It was Russia. However, the leaders of these countries prefer not to recall this. Moreover, they deem it possible to reproach us for being “unreliable.” Do we deny supplies to them? We are ready to ship and we are providing them with all the quantities, as agreed under our contracts. We are supplying them with all the contractual amounts. But if someone does not want to take our product, what do we have to do with this? That is your decision.

I have noted many times that the Nord Stream lacks any political background. It is a strictly commercial project, in which Russian and European companies take part on equal terms. Hence, Russia and our partners in EU countries should resolve the future of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2.

It is certainly possible to repair the damaged gas pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea. But this will make sense only if their further use is economically feasible and the safety of their routes can be ensured – this is the fundamental prerequisite.

If we come to an agreement with the Europeans to supply gas through the surviving branch – and one branch of Nord Stream 2, apparently, has survived… Unfortunately, we are not allowed to help inspect this branch, but the pipeline is holding pressure. It might be damaged, but we do not know this, because as I have said, we are not allowed to inspect it, but there is pressure, which means, apparently, that it is in working order. Its capacity is 27.5 billion cubic metres per year, which is about 8 percent of Europe’s gas imports.

Russia is ready to begin deliveries. The ball is in the EU's court. If they want to, they can just turn on the tap and that is that. I repeat that we are not restricting anyone or anything, and are ready to supply additional volumes in the autumn and winter period.

We have spoken more than once, including at the Russian Energy Week platform, about the causes and nature of the crisis that is unfolding in the European market, including their excessive enthusiasm over renewable energy sources to the detriment of hydrocarbons. Of course, alternative types of energy should be explored – solar, wind, tidal and hydrogen energy. We need to explore them all, but we need to take into account the current volume of consumption, the growth rates of the global economy, the demand for energy resources and the level of technological development. But jumping the gun, for political reasons, especially populist domestic policies – come on, who does that? But this is what they did – and here is the result. The same holds true for the curtailment of nuclear energy, as well as the rejection of long-term contracts in the gas sector and the shift to exchange quotations.

Incidentally, according to expert estimates, this year alone, the spot gas pricing mechanics have caused Europe more than 300 billion euros in losses – about 2 percent of the Eurozone's GDP. This could have been avoided if they stuck to long-term oil-linked contracts. You are all professionals and must understand what I am saying: the price difference between the spot market and long-term contracts is three- or four-fold.

And who did it? Was it Russia? They did it themselves. In fact, they imposed this trading system on us. They have essentially forced Gazprom to shift, in part, to a link to the spot market, and now they are groaning. Well, it is their own fault.

It is clear how this problem of high rates will be solved. We have seen the same strategy being used with other commodity groups. They simply print more money. In the past year alone, the money supply in the EU has increased by around one trillion euros. The problem is what Europe is going to do with this money. Europe will, just like with other goods, including food, grab them and gas from the global market. As a result, other countries, especially developing countries, will have to overpay for these energy resources.

The resources that come to the European market are sold literally triple the price, as I have said, and this feeds inflation. It has already reached 10 percent in the euro zone. It is hitting ordinary Europeans as their electricity and gas bills have more than tripled over the past year. The European population is stocking up on wood for winter, like in the Middle Ages.

What does Russia have to do with it? They are constantly trying to blame others for their own mistakes, in this case Russia. I want to stress again that it is their own fault. It is not even a result of certain actions during the special military operation in Ukraine and Donbass. Absolutely not.

It is the result of years and years of bad energy policy. Years and years...

...As I mentioned earlier, Russia invariably fulfills its obligations in stark contrast to Western countries, which cynically refused to honour signed finance and technology, as well as equipment supply and maintenance contracts.

I am here to say one thing: Russia will not act contrary to common sense or underwrite someone else’s prosperity. We are not going to supply energy to the countries that introduce price caps. I want to tell those who prefer con jobs and shameless blackmail to business partnerships and market mechanisms – we have been living in this political paradigm for decades now – you should know that we will not do anything that disadvantages us.

We strongly believe that stability, balanced energy markets and a secure future for all nations can only be ensured through joint efforts in an open and honest dialogue based on the principles of joint responsibility and consideration for each other's national interests.

This is the kind of dialogue we have established with our partners under the OPEC+ agreement, as I have just mentioned.


RELATED POSTS:

199 - Consistency of Russian claims about Nordstream affair



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173 - July 2022 - Vladimir Putin about maintenance of Nordstream turbines



19 July 2022 - Vladimir Putin answered media questions

Question: Mr President, a serious energy crisis is developing in Europe, which is discussing the possibility of Gazprom cutting off gas deliveries. The company has allegedly issued an official notification to one of its German clients, citing force majeure circumstances.

Are there grounds for accusing Russia of causing this energy crisis? Will Gazprom continue to honour its obligations

Vladimir Putin: First of all, Gazprom has always honoured, and will continue to honour its commitments.

There are no grounds at all for the attempts by our partners to shift or try to shift the blame for their own mistakes on Russia and Gazprom.

What is the situation with energy deliveries? In 2020, in the first half of 2020, gas cost 100 euros per 1,000 cubic metres in Europe. The price rose to 250 euros in the first half of 2021. Today it is 1,700 euros per 1,000 cubic metres of gas.

What is happening? I have spoken about this on numerous occasions, and I do not know if we should go into detail regarding the energy policies of European countries, which underrate the importance of traditional sources of energy and have put money on non-traditional energy sources. They are big experts on non-traditional relations, and they have also decided to make a bid for non-traditional energy sources like the sun and wind.

Last winter was long, there was no wind, and that did it. Investment in the fixed assets of traditional energy producers has decreased because of previous political decisions: banks do not finance them, insurance companies do not insure them, local governments do not allocate land plots for new projects, and pipeline and other forms of transportation are not developing. This is a result of many years, probably a decade of this policy. This is the root cause of price hikes rather than any actions by Russia or Gazprom.

What is going on today? Until recently, we supplied gas to Europe without Turkiye: we supplied around 30 billion cubic metres a year to Turkiye, and 170 billion to Europe, 55 billion via Nord Stream 1, and, if memory serves me, 33 billion were supplied via Yamal-Europe, via the two strings that run through Ukraine. About 12 billion were delivered to Europe through Turkiye via TurkStream.

Ukraine suddenly announced that it was going to close one of the two routes on its territory. Allegedly because the gas pumping station is not under its control but on the territory of the Lugansk People's Republic. But it found itself under the control of the Lugansk People's Republic several months before, and they closed it just recently without any grounds. Everything was functioning normally there, no one interfered. In my opinion, they closed it simply for political reasons.

What happened next? Poland imposed sanctions on Yamal-Europe, which supplied 33 billion cubic metres of gas. They used to take 34, I think, 33–34 million cubic metres a day from us. They shut it down completely. But then we saw that they turned on the Yamal-Europe pipeline in reverse mode, and they started taking about 32 million a day from Germany. Where is the gas from Germany coming from? It is our Russian gas. Why from Germany? Because it turned out to be cheaper for the Poles. They used to get it from us at a very high price, closer to the market price, whereas Germany gets it from us 3–4 times cheaper than the market price under long-term contracts.

It is profitable for German companies to sell it to the Poles at a small premium. It is profitable for the Poles to buy it because it is cheaper than to buy it directly from us. But the volume of gas in the European market has decreased, and the total market price has gone up. Who has won? All Europeans only lost. This is the second point: Yamal-Europe.

So, first one of the routes in Ukraine was shut down, then Yamal-Europe was shut down, now Nord Stream 1, which is one of the main routes – we pump 55 billion cubic metres a year through it. There are five Siemens gas compressor stations working there, and one is on standby. One compressor had to be sent out for repairs. A repaired compressor was supposed to come from Canada, from the Siemens plant in Canada, to replace it. But it ended up under sanctions in Canada. So, one pumping station, just one piece of equipment was out of order because of scheduled maintenance work and it has not been returned from Canada.

Now we are being told that the unit will be delivered from Canada soon, but Gazprom does not have any official documents yet. We must certainly obtain them, because this is our property, it is the property of Gazprom. Gazprom should receive not only the hardware, not only the gas pumping unit, but also the accompanying documents, both legal and technical documentation.

We must be able to see what Gazprom is taking – the turbine’s current condition as well as its legal status, whether it is under sanctions or not, what we can do with it, or maybe they are taking it back tomorrow. But that is not all.

The problem is that at the end of July, on July 26, I think – we can ask Gazprom – another turbine should be sent for routine maintenance, for repairs. And where will we get a replacement from? We do not know.

One more turbine is actually out of order because of some crumbling of its internal liner. Siemens has confirmed this. That leaves two operational units, which are pumping 60 million per day. So, if one more is delivered, fine, we will have two in operation. But if it is not, only one will be left, and it will pump only 30 million cubic meters per day. You can count how much time it will take to pump the rest. How is this Gazprom’s responsibility? What does Gazprom even have to do with this? They have cut off one route, then another, and sanctioned this gas pumping equipment. Gazprom is ready to pump as much gas as necessary. But they have shut everything down.

And they have fallen into the same trap with the import of oil and petroleum products. We hear all sorts of crazy ideas about capping the volume of Russian oil imports or the price of Russian oil. This is going to lead to the same situation as with gas. The result (I am surprised to hear people with university degrees saying this) will be the same – rising prices. Oil prices will spiral.

As for gas, there is another route we are ready to open, which is Nord Stream 2. It is ready to be launched, but they are not launching it. There are problems here as well, I discussed them with the Chancellor about six or maybe eight weeks ago. I raised this issue; I said that Gazprom had reserved the capacity, and that this capacity needed to be used, and it cannot be suspended in mid-air indefinitely.

The answer was that there were other issues on the agenda, more important things, so it is difficult for them to deal with this right now. But I had to warn them that then we would have to redirect half of the volume intended for Nord Stream for domestic consumption and processing. I raised this issue at the request of Gazprom, and Gazprom has actually already done it. Therefore, even if we launch Nord Stream 2 tomorrow, it will not pump 55 billion cubic meters, but exactly half that amount. And given that we are already halfway through this year, it would be just a quarter. Such is the supply situation...

But – I said this at the beginning of my answer to your question and I want to end with this – Gazprom has always fulfilled and will always fulfil all of its obligations, as long as, of course, anyone needs it. First, they themselves close everything, and then they look for someone to blame – it would be comical if it were not so sad. 


Read related post which describes the situation in September 2022: 


171 - September 2022 - The UK sabotaged Nord Stream AG by not delivering INCOTERMS


026 - The $1.5 Trillion Margin Call on EU energy Utilities


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Uncovering the truth took over two years of self-funded, tireless investigation.
I decided to open it for free, no paywall, despite huge investment.
Because the truth matters.
Please consider supporting my work with a donation.

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172 - December 2022 - Vladimir Putin on Nordstream attacks: There is no real investigation


Vladimir Putin: "...there is no real investigation..."



22 Dec 2022 - Vladimir Putin answered questions from journalists

Vladimir Putin: "...This sector (natural gas) already lacks investment. There are problems related to the fact that money is not invested in new projects such as pipelines, production and development due to environmental concerns and the transition to renewable energy sources. Banks do not loan money, and insurance companies refuse to issue policies. Large global companies have stopped investing in the volume the global energy sector needs.

And now they are trying to administratively set a price cap. This is the road toward destroying the global energy sector. The moment might come when the underinvested sector stops providing the necessary volume of products and the prices will soar and hurt those who are trying to introduce these instruments..."

...Therefore, energy producers, oil producers in this case, take it personally, referring to themselves, not Russia, but themselves because everyone believes that this is the first attempt to dictate administrative rules of price regulation to producers, and more will follow...

Alexei Lazurenko: Alexei Lazurenko, Izvestia.

I would like to follow up on the same subject.

Similar decisions to cap gas prices were adopted several days ago. What will we do in this context? How big of a threat is this for us, and what will be the future of the Nord Stream pipelines?

Vladimir Putin: This initiative follows the same pattern, as far as I can tell. Once again, we are witnessing an attempt to use administrative leverage to regulate prices. Nothing good can come out of this for gas or oil markets.

Overall, sometimes our colleagues and partners really surprise me by how unprofessional they are. There was a time when it was the European Commission which forced us to switch to market pricing and to setting the price of natural gas on the commodity exchange. We, in turn, and I personally, tried to persuade Brussels not to do it, saying that this is not how the gas market works and would have grave consequences, resulting in surging prices. This is exactly what is happening right now. Now they do not know how to get out of this situation and are trying to regulate the price of gas too.

However, there is a slight difference compared to the way they try regulating oil prices. This time, the European Commission is focusing on regulating commodity exchanges. They are pegging gas prices to LNG, saying that gas prices must correlate with LNG pricing, etc. Still, this is an attempt to use administrative methods for regulating prices.

You know, they do not listen to us, they do not want to deal with us, they do not like us and want to counter us. Fine, but what about listening to themselves? I am referring to those trying to regulate gas prices in Europe. They always take their cues from the Americans, bowing and humiliating themselves every time they are ordered to do something. This time, there were no orders, but they could have listened to what the US experts are saying. Take Friedman, a prominent economist and Nobel Prize winner. He said that if you want to create a shortage of tomatoes, just cap the price of tomatoes. Instantly you'll have a tomato shortage. They are doing the same with oil and gas – exactly the same. For some reason, no one is listening.

We have been keeping a close eye on these developments, watching them. If the system they propose tilts towards administrative regulation and runs counter to Gazprom’s contracts with its counterparts, or if there is any interference in these contracts, we reserve the right to consider whether we have an obligation to perform these contracts while the other party infringes on them.

As for the Nord Streams…. What can I say? This was a terrorist attack, which is obvious, and everyone has recognised this. Even more surprising is that it is an act of international, or should I say state terrorism. Why? Because individuals cannot carry out terror attacks of this kind on their own. States were clearly involved in perpetrating them.

As they say in such cases: look for who will benefit. Who will benefit from Russian gas being supplied to Europe only through Ukraine, who will benefit from Ukraine receiving the money?

[MRT: Putin hints to a scheme by a 3rd country in which Russian gas is on purpose funneled only through Ukraine which gets the transport fees.] 

The aggressor is Russia, but they receive money from us for transit, and we are paying them, though they call us aggressors, and though they are aggressors in relation to Donbass, too. We are countering aggression, not the other way around. They take money and that is alright. Money is money.

Who benefits from Russian gas being supplied to Europe only through Ukraine? That is who blew it up. Nobody is investigating. We had an opportunity just once to inspect the sites of explosions. All this was in the media, there is nothing to repeat, as I am sure you already know this. But there is no real investigation, no one is investigating. It is astonishing but true. 


RELATED POSTS:

199 - Consistency of Russian claims about Nordstream affair




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171 - September 2022 - The UK sabotaged Nord Stream AG by not delivering INCOTERMS

ABOUT:

INCOTERMS AND NORDSTREAM 1 GAS TURBINES MAINTENANCE


7 Sept 2022 - Eastern Economic Forum plenary session

The President took part in a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum. The theme this year is On the Path to a Multipolar World.



Vladimir Putin: Nord Stream 1 is practically closed, and everyone is saying: 

“Russia is using its energy weapon.” More nonsense and rubbish. What weapon are we using? We supply as much gas as our partners need, as much as they order. We are not pumping gas into the air but supplying the amount ordered. We fill the orders that we receive.

What has happened? The operation of one of the two gas pipelines running across Ukraine was suspended by Ukraine for a made-up reason, alleging that there was no control over it. They closed it themselves. It was not us who closed it, Ukraine did it. This is my first point.

Another pipeline, Yamal–Europe, runs across Poland. Poland imposed sanctions on this gas pipeline and suspended its functioning. Was it us who did this? No, the Poles did it. The Ukrainians did it and the Poles.

Regarding Nord Stream 1, our German partners have agreed that all technical aspects of Nord Stream 1, including the maintenance of gas-pumping turbine units, are subject to British law because – I myself was unaware of this and learned about this from Mr Miller – Gazprom had to sign a contract for the maintenance of these units made by Siemens not with the Siemens main office but with its subsidiary based in the United Kingdom, which slapped sanctions on Gazprom, and agreed to repair the turbines at a Siemens plant in Canada.

What do we have to do with all of that? Canada finally took it but yielded to numerous requests coming from Germany and gave it to Germany, whereas under an agreement with a Siemens subsidiary in the UK, the turbines were to be shipped straight to St Petersburg. Logistics arrangements have changed and the contract has to be revised. The British-based Siemens subsidiary will not even respond to Gazprom’s inquiries.

[MRT: I stated in early 2023 that INCOTERMS changed hence the delay - I have deducted that issues were with INCOTERM documents - see here May 17, 2023] 

You can take as many photos with the turbine as you want, but give us the documents, for crying out loud. This is our property. We need to understand the legal status of this property and its technical condition. They give us nothing but chit-chat.

The last turbine is now out of order, so Siemens representatives came to look at it. There is an oil leak, which is an explosion and fire hazard. There is no way for the turbine to remain operational given its current condition. Give us the turbines, and we will turn on Nord Stream 1 overnight. They do not give us anything. They say we are weaponising it. What are they talking about? They themselves messed things up big time and are now not sure what to do about it. They drove themselves into a sanctions dead end.

There is only one way out. In Germany, people are rallying to turn on Nord Stream 2. We are supportive of the demands by German consumers and we are ready to turn it on as early as tomorrow. All we need to do is press the button, but we are not the ones who imposed sanctions on Nord Stream 2. It was done under pressure from the United States. Why is it exerting pressure? Because it wants to sell its gas for a pretty penny. We are aware of the position of the former US administration as well. They said, “Yes, we sell at a higher price, but let them buy ours because we offer them protection.” Let them buy then if they choose to. We will sell our product.

Ilya Doronov: Since we are talking about Britain, I have a follow-up question for you. Liz Truss is the new Prime Minister succeeding Boris Johnson. What are your expectations regarding the new Prime Minister? Am I right to think that there is no hope to see our relations improve after everything she had to say?

Vladimir Putin: Listen, the UK process for electing the head of state is far removed from the principles of democracy. It is confined to the party that won the previous parliamentary election. The people of Great Britain have no say in the change of government. The ruling elite stick to their rules. We know where the Tories stand on these issues, including with regard to Russia. It is up to them to decide how they are going to build relations with the Russian Federation. Our job is to protect our interests. We will do so consistently, let there be no doubt about it.

 

16 Sept 2022 - News conference following visit to Uzbekistan

Putin: "...These are erroneous reference points in the green agenda, rushing things, and the green energy being unprepared to meet to the demand for huge energy resources to support economic and industrial growth. The economy is growing while the energy sector is shrinking.

This is the first drastic mistake.

The second mistake concerns natural gas.

We made attempts to persuade the Europeans to focus on long-term contracts rather than solely on the market. Why? I said it before and will repeat it once again: Gazprom needs to invest billions in development but it must be confident that it will sell gas before making investments. This is what long-term contracts are about.

Mutual obligations are incurred by the sellers and the buyers. They said, “No, let the market regulate itself.“ We kept telling them, “Don't do it or it will lead to drastic consequences.” But in fact, they forced us to include a significant share of the spot price in the contract price. They forced us to do this, and Gazprom had to include both the oil and oil product basket but also the spot price in the gas price. The spot price began to grow, causing the increase in the price envisaged even in long-term contracts. But what does it have to do with us? This is the first thing.

Second, I told them many times. “Gazprom is not supplying gas.”

Look, are you normal people or what? Poland chose to impose sanctions against the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline and shut off the route. I told Mr [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz: “Why are you calling me? Call Warsaw and ask them to reopen the route.” That is all there is to it. That’s the first.

Second. Two lines of the gas pipeline run through Ukraine. Ukraine is being supplied with weapons, but it went ahead and closed one of the lines for them. They also shut off another line that supplied 25 billion cubic metres of gas – I will not talk about the exact amount, but they shut off the entire route. What for? Call Kiev and ask them to reopen the second line.

And finally, Nord Stream 1. One turbine goes out of order after another. Are we breaking them? As regards the latest turbine breaking down and being taken out of service – what actually happened?

There was supposed to be a routine inspection and maintenance works; they opened the unit in the presence of Siemens specialists and found an oil leak there, which created a danger of an explosion. They saw it, and they put their signatures under the document. The turbine has to be repaired and it is not operational, with a risk of fire and explosion. But what does it have to do with us? Go ahead and repair it.

We were told: look, they delivered a turbine from Canada but Gazprom will not accept it. But Gazprom is right in doing so. We said so many times: Gazprom’s contract for servicing turbines is not with Siemens but with a UK-based Siemens subsidiary. That is what it is all about.

And this UK-based subsidiary must provide documents that specify that sanctions have been lifted from the turbine as this is our property, and Gazprom must be sure of it because it may choose to sell it, say, to Iran, China or some other country. It means that the sanctions have been lifted and it is in a proper technical condition. The Siemens subsidiary must provide [guarantees] but has not provided anything but idle talks. That is what it is all about.

Also, it was necessary to make amendments in the logistics contract as the turbine was supposed to be delivered from Canada to St Petersburg, but it was delivered to Germany. This may seem unimportant at first glance but it has practical importance. Look, are we making all this up? And this is what led to Nord Stream 1 stopping operation.

[MRT: This is exactly as I expected, the place of delivery changed into 3rd country so new documents needed to be issued, turbines needed to be re-certified by Siemens engineers in Germany that they have NOT gotten any damage through transportation. This is about logistics, not politics, often engineers/technicians have their schedule with different customers so I guess the delay could be explained rather by natural events than intent.] 

After all, if they need it urgently, if things are so bad, just go ahead and lift sanctions against Nord Stream 2, with its 55 billion cubic metres per year – all they have to do is press the button and they will get it going. But they chose to shut it off themselves; they cannot repair one pipeline and imposed sanctions against the new Nord Stream 2 and will not open it. Are we to blame for this?

Let them think hard about who is to blame and let none of them blame us for their own mistakes. Gazprom and Russia have always fulfilled and will fulfil all obligations under our agreements and contracts, with no failures ever.


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199 - Consistency of Russian claims about Nordstream affair

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