Latest news with #BlackSea
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Kazakh Black Sea oil exports resume as tankers given access, sources say
MOSCOW, July 24 (Reuters) - Russia's FSB security service has started handing out clearance for foreign tankers to access the Black Sea ports, allowing for Kazakhstan's oil exports to resume after they were halted for nearly a day, four industry sources said on Thursday. The suspension led to the disruption of around 2% of global supply and drove international oil prices to almost $70 a barrel on Thursday before they pared gains. Russian regulations mean foreign ships require the approval of Russia's FSB security service to access the country's ports. The new law was signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday and came into effect after a decision by the European Union at the end of last week to impose further sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine. Two industry sources said on Wednesday foreign tankers were being temporarily barred from loading at Russia's main Black Sea ports. That effectively halted oil exports from Kazakhstan via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium that connects Kazakhstan's oil fields with export markets. Shareholders of the CPC include U.S. majors Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab and ExxonMobil (XOM.N), opens new tab. None of the source Reuters spoke to could be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Kazakhstan's energy ministry said the country's pipeline operator KazTransOil was in talks with the oil terminal owner over operations and additional security measures in the Russian Baltic Sea's port of Ust-Luga. The ministry did not elaborate. An industry source, familiar with the matter, said the talks related to the additional costs for the Russian insurance coverage and divers' inspections. Black Sea CPC Blend oil exports from the CPC terminal in Russia were set at 1.66 million barrels per day for August, or about 6.5 million metric tons, almost unchanged from the July export plan, Reuters reported last week. Exports and oil transit via Novorossisk are expected to be around 2.2 million metric tons in July, according to industry sources. Supplies from Novorossisk and the CPC terminal together account for around 2% of global oil supplies. Adding to nervousness on international oil markets about supplies, BP (BP.L), opens new tab said on Thursday that contaminants were detected in some of the oil tanks at Turkey's BTC Ceyhan terminal. It said however that loadings continued from other reservoirs.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Battle of Black Sea erupts as Russia and Ukraine strike biggest resorts after peace talks fail to deliver ceasefire
A NEW front in Vladimir Putin's bloody war erupted as Ukraine and Russia traded deadly Black Sea strikes after peace talks collapsed. The tit-for-tat attacks were the fiercest in months and marked a chilling escalation in a war showing no signs of ending. 11 11 11 11 In the Russian resort city of Sochi - Putin's glittering showcase to the world and personal playground - massive Ukrainian drones tore through vital infrastructure. Explosions rocked oil depots, ignited railway warehouses, and tore apart road links in Sirius Federal Territory, where elite schools, luxury developments, and whispers of Putin's own children echo. In an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin, a Russian S-400 missile system misfired during the chaos, smashing into a residential block and killing at least two civilians. One woman was among the dead, and another 11 people were wounded. Tourists at Sochi's five-star beachside hotels were seen cowering in underground car parks as their luxury summer breaks were shattered by war. This was the first major Ukrainian strike on Sochi in almost two years - and the symbolism couldn't be clearer. The city is home to Russia's most elite gymnastics academy run by Alina Kabaeva, Putin's long-time secret lover. It's also just a stone's throw from the palace Mad Vlad is building after razing his last one - and only a mile from the Sirius school where he once held private talks with Donald Trump. Ukraine used Lyutyi‑196 long-range drones in the daring raid that lit up the night sky with fireballs. The Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt oil depot exploded in flames as local officials scrambled to control the chaos. Warped Russian state TV parades 'drone death factory' packed with kamikaze killing machines after Ukraine blitzes Moscow Sochi airport was also shut down, delaying more than 100 flights. While Sochi burned, the heart of Odesa bled. The historic Ukrainian port city, often described as the soul of the nation, suffered yet another hellish night under a hail of Russian drones. A nine-storey residential building was torn apart from the fifth to eighth floors, and the city's beloved Privoz Market - a cultural landmark since 1827 - was engulfed in flames. Regional governor Oleh Kiper said: "There is damage to architectural monuments in the historic centre of Odesa, which is under UNESCO protection." Russia also launched drone strikes on Mykolaiv and a missile assault on Cherkasy, injuring seven people and a child. Fires raged across Ukrainian industrial sites as sirens screamed through the night. All this, just hours after peace talks in Istanbul collapsed into bitter recriminations. 11 11 Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky admitted the two sides were "quite far from each other". Ukraine's Rustem Umerov demanded an immediate ceasefire and face-to-face negotiations. He warned: "We emphasise that the ceasefire must be real. "It must include a complete halt to strikes on civilian and critically important infrastructure." 'Prepping for nuclear war' As the bloodshed on the ground escalates, Putin's propaganda machine turns even more apocalyptic. Leading Russian media outlets - or Kremlin mouthpieces - have begun preparing their citizens for nuclear war. Newspapers such as Komsomolskaya Pravda ran chilling features warning that war with the West could come before the end of the decade, fuelled by what they claim is Nato aggression. Accusing the West of wanting to "dismember" Russia to access its resources, Russian military analyst Andrei Klintsevich warned: "The aim is to provoke Russia… and launch direct confrontation." He called for a nuclear test in the Arctic - the first since the Cold War - in a move meant to terrify Western powers. The warnings coincided with threats from Putin's infamous crony Dmitry Medvedev, who claimed World War Three has already begun, and urged Russia to bomb the West. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, raged that Nato and the West are effectively already at war with Russia as he pushed the Kremlin's view that his country is the victim. That's despite it being Russia who invaded Ukraine and is continuing to wage a bloody war. 11 11 The Kremlin's fury was further stoked after US General Christopher Donahue declared Nato could capture Kalinigrad - the strategic fortress Russia clings to in the heart of Europe - "faster than we've ever done before." It comes after Trump threw his own firepower to the mix. He pledged to arm Ukraine with advanced defence systems and slap Russia with brutal 100 per cent tariffs - unless Putin strikes a peace deal within 50 days. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky has found himself facing a new kind of battle - not with Putin, but with his own people. The Ukrainian leader is under intense fire after signing a controversial anti-corruption bill that critics say hands him near-absolute power over previously independent watchdogs. Thousands poured into the streets of Kyiv in the biggest anti-government protest since the war began. "We chose Europe, not autocracy," read one handmade placard. Another one read: "My father did not die for this." Zelensky insisted the law was needed to purge Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies of Russian infiltration, claiming: "We all share a common enemy: the Russian occupiers… "Those who work against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune to the inevitability of punishment." But his assurances did little to calm protesters, which included Kyiv's mayor and former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who said bluntly: 'Sapo and Nabu must remain independent institutions.' The protests have now spread to Lviv, Dnipro and even battle-hardened Odesa, adding political turmoil to an already exhausted nation. 11 11
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Kazakh Black Sea oil exports resume after brief halt over tankers' access, sources say
MOSCOW, July 24 (Reuters) - Russia's FSB security service has started handing out clearance for foreign tankers to access the Black Sea ports, allowing for Kazakhstan's oil exports to resume after a brief suspension, four industry sources said on Thursday. Two industry sources said on Wednesday that foreign tankers were being temporarily barred from loading at Russia's main Black Sea ports following new regulations, effectively halting oil exports from Kazakhstan handled largely by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium partly owned by U.S. energy majors. However, Kazakhstan's energy ministry said earlier on Thursday that the country had not halted oil loadings via the Russian sea ports. On Monday, President Vladimir Putin signed a law under which foreign ships will require the approval of Russia's FSB security service to access the country's ports. The CPC pipeline connects Kazakhstan's oil fields with export markets through the Russian Black Sea port of Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka near Novorossiysk. It transports mainly Kazakh oil and a small portion of Russian oil. Black Sea CPC Blend oil exports from the CPC terminal in Russia were set at 1.66 million barrels per day for August, or about 6.5 million metric tons, almost unchanged from the July export plan, Reuters reported last week. Exports and oil transit via the Novorossisk port were seen around 2.2 million metric tons in July, according to industry sources.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Ukraine, Russia attack each other's Black Sea coasts after latest round of peace talks
July 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia launched air attacks along each other's Black Sea coasts early on Thursday, hours after brief direct talks between them failed to make any progress on steps to end nearly three-and-a-half years of war. Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass drone attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, injuring at least four people and causing several fires as well as damage in the historic centre, a UNESCO world heritage site. The famous Pryvoz market in Odesa was among the places hit, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said. "It is not just a place of trade, it is the living heart of Odesa," he added. On Thursday morning, some residents were cleaning up shattered glass in the streets nearby. "So what if the (drones) are flying? We will shoot them down; they will not break us," Yevhen, a 20-year-old student among those helping with the cleanup, told Reuters. Emergency officials in Russia's Krasnodar region on the Black Sea said debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in the Adler district near the resort city of Sochi. A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries, they said on the Telegram messaging app. The administrative head of the Sirius federal district south of Sochi said a drone hit an oil base, giving no further details. Russia's aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours. Russia also attacked the central region of Cherkasy overnight, injuring seven people, including a nine-year-old, and damaging more than a dozen residential apartment buildings. Negotiators had earlier discussed further prisoner swaps at a brief session of peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but they remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. "Yesterday, at a meeting in Istanbul, the Russian side was again presented with a proposal to immediately and completely cease fire. In response, Russian drones are striking residential buildings," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram. He said Russia had launched 103 drones and four missiles during its overnight attack, which deputy prime minister Oleskiy Kuleba said struck civilian infrastructure, including seaports, transport hubs, and residential areas. Russian forces have in recent weeks intensified drone attacks on towns and cities far from the 1,000 km (620-mile) frontline across eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukraine's military has been targeting energy and military sites in Russia in response to concerted Russian attacks which have destroyed towns and cities and devastated its energy infrastructure.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ukraine, Russia Attack Each Other's Black Sea Coasts After Latest Round of Peace Talks
Ukraine and Russia launched air attacks along each other's Black Sea coasts early on Thursday, hours after brief direct talks between them failed to make any progress on steps to end nearly three-and-a-half years of war. Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass drone attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, injuring at least four people and causing several fires as well as damage in the historic center, a UNESCO world heritage site. The famous Pryvoz market in Odesa was among the places hit, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said. "It is not just a place of trade, it is the living heart of Odesa," he added. On Thursday morning, some residents were cleaning up shattered glass in the streets nearby. "So what if the (drones) are flying? We will shoot them down; they will not break us," Yevhen, a 20-year-old student among those helping with the cleanup, told Reuters. Emergency officials in Russia's Krasnodar region on the Black Sea said debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in the Adler district near the resort city of Sochi. A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries, they said on the Telegram messaging app. The administrative head of the Sirius federal district south of Sochi said a drone hit an oil base, giving no further details. Russia's aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours. Russia also attacked the central region of Cherkasy overnight, injuring seven people, including a nine-year-old, and damaging more than a dozen residential apartment buildings. Negotiators had earlier discussed further prisoner swaps at a brief session of peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but they remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. "Yesterday, at a meeting in Istanbul, the Russian side was again presented with a proposal to immediately and completely cease fire. In response, Russian drones are striking residential buildings," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram. He said Russia had launched 103 drones and four missiles during its overnight attack, which deputy prime minister Oleskiy Kuleba said struck civilian infrastructure, including seaports, transport hubs, and residential areas. Russian forces have in recent weeks intensified drone attacks on towns and cities far from the 1,000 km (620-mile) frontline across eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukraine's military has been targeting energy and military sites in Russia in response to concerted Russian attacks which have destroyed towns and cities and devastated its energy infrastructure.
