Russia & Ex-Soviets

Ukraine, Third-Highest Default Risk In The World, Squeezed By Russia, Makes Two Gas Deals To Save Its Hide

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By Scott Belinksi, OilPrice.com: If one were to believe most Western media outlets, the Ukraine has been lost to Russia. But two gas deals the Ukraine has reportedly made, one with Russia, the other with Slovakia in the EU, show that reality is slightly more complex.

Putin Liquidates State-Owned Media Groups, Tightens Stranglehold On Survivors (As Other Governments Watch Enviously)

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Vladimir Putin issued decrees that liquidate RIA Novosti, a state-run news agency with reporters in 45 countries, publishing in 14 languages including English, and too much of a mind of its own.  And he is building a formidable propaganda machine. Other governments watch enviously.

Is the Giant Siberian Oilfield to be Developed by Russia and China Radioactive?

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By Joao Peixe of Oilprice.com: The deal between Rosneft and China National Petroleum Corp to jointly develop a giant oilfield in Siberia may be tainted. I’m not talking about corruption or illegal activities, but rather the potential that the oil and gas in the field may be contaminated with radioactive materials from nuclear explosions.

Ukraine & Turkey: The European Energy Coup

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By Analysts of Oil & Energy Insider: The Ukraine controls the transit of 90% of Russia’s natural gas to Europe and dependents on Russia for 60% of its own gas consumption. Russia is using its gas stranglehold on the Ukraine to gain control of its transit system. The EU is involved too. An epic struggle. But now, a deal with Turkey might usurp it.

Any “Government Is Evil To A Certain Extent” – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov About The Troubled Economy

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Any “Government Is Evil To A Certain Extent” – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov About The Troubled Economy

Global investors, whose money Russia needs to develop its economy, are staying away in droves. They have lots of reasons to just say no – political risks, judicial nightmares, legal bogs, corruption, an economy spiraling into a slowdown…. “There are questions about the future stability of the Russian economy,” said First Deputy PM Shuvalov. But he has a plan.

The Big Shift: Chinese, Russians Replace People From (Formerly) Rich Countries As Big Spenders At Parisian Airports

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on The Big Shift: Chinese, Russians Replace People From (Formerly) Rich Countries As Big Spenders At Parisian Airports

In Paris, “Chinese” has a new meaning: money. This phenomenon shows up by the busload at luxury retailers where sales staff say a few words of bad Mandarin, instead of bad English, in hawking overpriced handbags and glittery baubles. Now Aéroports de Paris has put a number on it. A glimmer of hope for France, though perhaps of the wrong kind.

Russia’s Plan For The BRICS To Dismantle The Dollar System

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Russia’s Plan For The BRICS To Dismantle The Dollar System

Contributed by Valentin Mândrăşescu, Editor of The Voice of Russia’s Reality Check. Former commodity trader, economist, journalist. Nomadic lifestyle. When not in Moscow, he can be found travelling across Eastern Europe. The status of the US dollar as the world reserve currency gives the US a number of advantages over other countries. The world’s most…

Cyprus Crisis: A Triumph For Russian Isolationists

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Contributed by Valentin Mândrăşescu, Editor of Reality Check @ The Voice of Russia. The mainstream media usually presents a very unbalanced view on the events in which Russian interests are involved. The “Cypriot bailout” is no exception. These messages are wrong, and they miss the most interesting part of the story. I can tell that in Moscow there are many people who are jubilating right now. Their wildest dreams have come true.

Cyprus, ‘A Money Laundering Machine For Russian criminals’ – Amounts, Flows, and Mechanics

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Cyprus, ‘A Money Laundering Machine For Russian criminals’ – Amounts, Flows, and Mechanics

Russia’s booming underground economy with its dizzying flows of illicit oil money is at the core of an 84-page report by Global Financial Integrity. It advises the Russian government on how to tackle this problem. But buried deep inside is a gem: the flows and amounts of Russian “black money” into and out of Cyprus.

German Spy Agency: Geopolitical Consequences Of US Oil Boom

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German Spy Agency: Geopolitical Consequences Of US Oil Boom

Much digital ink has been spilled about the US oil & gas boom, and whether or not it will lead to energy independence, or even turn the US into an oil exporter. Now a “confidential” report by the German version of the CIA, the Bundesnachrichtendienst, seeped to the surface. It sketched out the boom’s geopolitical consequences. Biggest loser? China.