The G7 pledges to combat Russian shadow fleet used to evade oil export sanctions.
Research @KSE_Institute shows Russia tripled this fleet to 435 vessels in 2024 from 143 in 2023, heightening concerns about oil spills along EU shipping routes. 1/
@KSE_Institute Russia is boosting its shadow fleet with old ships destined for scrap. An oil spill is not a question of if but when, which would trigger severe sanctions on fleet facilitators. Yet, EU elections and local politics are diverting G7's focus 2/
@KSE_Institute Research by the Kyiv School of Economics shows that the shadow fleet now handles about 60% of Russia's crude exports and 45% of oil product exports independently of restricted maritime services. In 2023, Russia still relied heavily on Western services 3/
Ukrainian woman escapes Russian occupation by walking through the front line over a bridge in Kherson
On June 11, the Ukrainian military spotted a woman on the surviving part of the Antonivskyi Bridge, standing in the side of the occupied Oleshky 1/
After the woman saw the drone, she showed it her Ukrainian passport.
The drone escorted the Ukrainian woman to the positions of Ukrainian forces. She was then transported by boat to the territory controlled by Ukraine 2/
The soldiers who rescued her said the woman did not know that Antonivskyi Bridge was destroyed, so she was walking towards it hoping to cross it.
The operation to evacuate her lasted about six hours 3/
G7 agree to use Russian assets to give Ukraine $50 bln by the end of this year
This is a major blow to Russia 1/
G7 leaders had aimed to agree a deal on using the profits from the interest on 300 billion euros ($325 billion) of frozen Russian central bank assets to help Kyiv, using the profits as collateral for a loan of up to $50 billion 2/
We have an agreement, a French official said ahead of the summit tomorrow 3/
Rare Earth Elements. They are chemical elements essential in the manufacturing of a wide range of high-tech products and advanced technologies, including:
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1. **Electronics**: Smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices. 2. **Green Technologies**: Wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries, and other renewable energy technologies.
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Brussel: Ukraine ready for EU membership talks, FT reports
The EU Commission recommends starting EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova this month, hastening the decision due to Hungary's upcoming EU presidency. But I believe Hungary will try to delay and derail. 1/
One ongoing concern for Ukraine's EU application is the perceived and actual corruption, along with the influence of oligarchs on politics. In my view, this concern is somewhat unjustified, but it remains a reality. 2/
The commission now asserts that Ukraine meets criteria such as anti-corruption measures and restrictions on political lobbying and the EU membership negotiations can go ahead. Good news! 3/