Hungary rages over EU oil transit proposal
Category
Economics
Publication date

Hungary rages over EU oil transit proposal

Peter Szijarto
Source:  online.ua

The head of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijarto, began to complain that Croatia seems to be an "unreliable partner" for the transit of oil,

Points of attention

  • Hungary expresses dissatisfaction with the EU's policy regarding the transit of Russian oil.
  • Official Brussels recommends Hungary to transit oil through Croatia, but the Hungarian diplomat rejects this proposal.
  • Ukraine rejected Slovakia's proposal to transit Russian oil through its territory.

Budapest continues to express dissatisfaction with EU policy

New complaints from Hungary were heard after the European Commission recommended that it import oil through its southern neighbor, Croatia.

Official Brussels concluded that there is enough spare capacity on the Croatian JANAF Adriatic pipeline to supply Hungary and Slovakia with oil that does not come from Russia.

However, the Hungarian diplomat Peter Sijarto found a reason to reject the proposal of the European authorities.

Croatia is simply not a reliable country for transit… It is not reliable because the price of oil transit has been increased five times compared to the average market values since the beginning of the war. This is unreliable, because they made it impossible for MOL to use long-term transport capacity, said the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.

He also began to complain that the necessary investments to increase the capacity of the line were not made, and "data on the maximum capacity are given that have never been confirmed by anyone."

Ukraine rejected Slovakia's proposal regarding the transit of Russian oil

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal did not agree to the proposal of his Slovak colleague Robert Fico, stressing that Kyiv will not cancel the sanctions against the Russian Lukoil.

Sanctions introduced by the National Security Council of Ukraine do not pose a threat to the energy security of Slovakia and Europe in general, which is why their cancellation is not the subject of discussion. Therefore, we have a complete understanding of Brussels in this matter.

Denis Shmyhal

Denis Shmyhal

Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

According to him, Russia is a threat to Slovakia's energy security.

Therefore, the head of the Ukrainian government asked Bratislava not to ignore blackmail and political ultimatums from Moscow.

Slovakia is our reliable partner, from whom we do not expect blackmail or threats, he added.

Category
Ukraine
Publication date

Kursk operation. The Russian army uses "ridiculous" technology from World War II

The Russian army resorts to old methods of warfare
Source:  Forbes

Forbes columnist David Axe drew attention to the fact that Russian occupiers in the Kursk region began using a long-forgotten World War II technology to cross rivers.

Points of attention

  • Modified BTR-D amphibious vehicles used by the Russian army remain vulnerable to Ukrainian weapons.
  • Ukrainian troops are actively attacking bridges and spans in the Kursk region, blocking the enemy's advance.

The Russian army resorts to old methods of warfare

As the expert recalled, during World War II, some armies, including the British, attached metal spans to the upper part of tank chassis and used the resulting "funny bridges" to quickly cross gaps.

Despite the fact that 80 years have passed since then, the Russian army does not shy away from using “ridiculous” technologies to retake its own territories from the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

In the Kursk region of western Russia, Russian airborne troops deploy modified BTR-D amphibious vehicles in the same way: piling what looks like wooden flooring onto 13-ton tracked vehicles and rolling them into rivers. As they sink into muddy riverbeds, the vehicles’ makeshift surfaces act as bridges, says David Axe.

The analyst draws attention to the fact that the BTR-D are most active on the western edge of the Kursk salient.

What is important to understand is that in order for Russian soldiers to attack Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters in and around the village of Dar'ino, they must first cross the Snagost River.

What this technology looked like during World War II (Photo: Imperial War Museum photo)

Why the Russian Army's Technology Is Not Effective

As David Axe notes, in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regularly attack civilian bridges and any conventional or pontoon spans built by Russian engineers.

In addition, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not forget to fire on the bridge transporters specially built by the Russians.

Although the BTR-Ds are as vulnerable to Ukrainian mines, missiles, artillery and drones as any combat vehicle, they are fast and can reach road speeds of around 40 miles per hour, making them less vulnerable than permanent bridges or slow engineering vehicles, the analyst writes.

According to the latest data, since November, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have shot down at least two Russian BTR-Ds.

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