Articles
Violations of the embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products from Black Sea ports into the EU in June 2023 (database)
30 June 2023
In June 2023, 22 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products (excluding crude oil) from the Black Sea were recorded. 7 direct voyages with petroleum products from Russian ports to the ports of EU countries were made. The remaining 14 voyages included delivery of petroleum products to transshipment points: 12 – in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece, 2 – off the coast of Malta.
250 tankers exported crude oil and petroleum products from Russian Black Sea ports in June 2023: The database
30 June 2023
The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews, based on the results of its own monitoring, presents a database of seaborne exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports on the Black and Azov Seas in June 2023. In total, in June 2023, 250 tankers exported oil and petroleum products from Russian ports (excluding exports to Bulgaria and Romania). They transported a total of about 15.5 million tons of cargo.
Violations of the embargo on the imports of crude oil from Russia into the EU in June 2023 (database)
30 June 2023
In June 2023, 9 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea were recorded. All of them involved the delivery of oil to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece. 3 such voyages were made by tankers belonging to companies from Turkey, shipowners from Greece and Liberia performed 2 voyages each. Tankers, owned by companies from Latvia and India made 1 voyage each. A total of 1,134,445 tons of Russian crude oil were delivered to the transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf in violation of the embargo, compared with 1,554,020 tons in May 2023 and 801,594 tons in April 2023.
In June 2023, 47 Tankers exported Kazakh Oil from the Russian Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk (Database)
30 June 2023
In June 2023, a total of 47 tankers exported CPC oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, excluding the exports to Bulgaria and Romania. Together they exported a total of about 6.5 million tons of oil, including 4 million tons to the EU and 2.5 million tons to other countries.
Ukraine’s Strategic Partners: Ukraine in Azerbaijani Information Space (5)
30 June 2023
With regard to Ukrainian topics in the Azerbaijani media, there are several factors that are important to take into account. First of all, we should keep in mind that before the 2022 Russian aggression, Ukraine was not of much interest to the Azerbaijani authorities and, accordingly, to the media, that prioritized other countries in the region and the world, so the number of publications was generally lower when compared to the coverage of Azerbaijani topics in Ukraine.
The number of violations of the EU-G7 embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products from the Black Sea in April-May 2023 increased significantly
26 June 2023
In May 2023, the number of violations of the EU and G7 embargo on the imports of Russian petroleum products from the Black Sea grew considerably. The volume of petroleum products shipped amounted to 896,840 tons (a 23.5% increase compared to April). Most violations – 17 out of 22 – included shipment of petroleum products to transshipment points in the maritime exclusive economic zones of EU countries – Greece (16) and Malta (1). However, the number of brazen violations, where tankers made voyages directly to EU and US ports, also rose sharply in May. Whereas in February 2023 there was 1 such case, in March and April – 2 in each month, in May, there were as many as 5 such voyages.
Violations of the embargo on crude oil imports from Russia to the EU in May 2023: Even direct voyages to Spain and the Netherlands were recorded
26 June 2023
In May 2023, the direct voyages of tankers carrying Russian oil from Black Sea ports to EU countries resumed. First, the Greek tanker EURONIKE, sailing under the flag of Malta, arrived from Novorossiysk, Russia, in Bilbao, Spain, with 160,000 tons of oil. Then, the Greek tanker SEARUNNER, sailing under the flag of Malta, delivered over 100,000 tons of oil from the Russian port of Taman to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In May, 11 tankers carrying Russian oil arrived at the transshipment point off the coast of Greece. The total volume of oil imported in violation of the embargo amounted to 1,554,020 tons – almost twice as much as in April.
Strategic Partners: Situation in the National Media of Ukraine (4)
21 June 2023
In the 2022 Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Ukraine ranked 106th out of 180, losing 9 positions over the course of the year, but still remaining way ahead of Azerbaijan. The main reason for the drop in the ranking has certainly been Russia's full-scale military aggression, that has had a detrimental effect on all fields of life, including the information space.
Trends in Russia’s crude oil exports from Black Sea ports in April-May 2023: Still at record highs
14 June 2023
In May 2023, the exports of Russian crude oil from Black Sea ports recovered and reached nearly 5 million tons. This growth occurred due to exports to EU countries – mainly to the transshipment point in the Gulf of Laconia off the coast of Greece. In May 2023, exports of Russian crude oil to EU countries through transshipment rose by 93.9%, compared to the previous month. Thus, it looks as if Russian oil traders and tanker owners have realised that the embargo circumvention scheme through the transshipment point off the coast of Greece works smoothly.
Crimea during the Great War. The situation in the occupied Crimea in 2022-2023. Military Context (1)
12 June 2023
Since February 24, 2022, the Crimean peninsula has acquired a new pivotal function — that of a Russian military foothold. In early 2022, Crimea developed the following new role and specifics of the frontline region. Since mid-2022, the war has come directly to Crimea. The events of the second half of 2022 have effectively transformed the Crimean peninsula from being a frontline region of the winning army to a frontline region of a limited combat operations of the losing army. By 2023, all that created in and around the occupied peninsula a fundamentally new atmosphere of expectation of an upcoming Ukrainian offensive on Crimea, which now affects all areas of life there.
Ukraine's Strategic Partners: Situation in the National Media: Azerbaijan Compared to Ukraine (3)
05 June 2023
Before discussing the topic of the Ukraine’s image in the information space of the Republic of Azerbaijan, it is worth first to consider the general condition of the Azerbaijan’s mass media in comparison with that in Ukraine. This is particularly important in order to assess the radical changes that took place in both countries after the outbreak of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war.
Violations of the embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products from Black Sea ports into the EU in May 2023 (database)
31 May 2023
In May 2023, 22 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products (excluding crude oil) from the Black Sea were recorded. 4 direct voyages with petroleum products from Russian ports to the ports of EU countries and 1 to the USA were made. The remaining 17 violations involved the delivery of petroleum products to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece and Malta.
250 tankers exported crude oil and petroleum products from Russian Black Sea ports in May 2023: The database
31 May 2023
The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews, based on the results of its own monitoring, presents a database of seaborne exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports on the Black and Azov Seas in May 2023. In total, in May 2023, 250 tankers exported oil and petroleum products from Russian ports (excluding exports to Bulgaria and Romania). They transported a total of about 15.5 million tons of cargo.
Violations of the embargo on the imports of crude oil from Russia into the EU in May 2023 (database)
31 May 2023
In May 2023, 13 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea were recorded. All of them involved the delivery of oil to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece. 6 such voyages were made by tankers belonging to companies from Greece, shipowners from Turkey and India performed 2 voyages each. Tankers, owned by companies from Moldova, Malta and Seychelles made 1 voyage each. A total of 1,554,020 tons of Russian crude oil were delivered to the transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf in violation of the embargo, compared with 801,594 tons in April 2023 and 476,449 tons in March 2023.
In May 2023, 51 Tankers exported Kazakh Oil from the Russian Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk (Database)
31 May 2023
In May 2023, a total of 51 tankers exported CPC oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, excluding the exports to Bulgaria and Romania. Together they exported a total of about 7.1 million tons of oil, including 4.6 million tons to the EU and 2.5 million tons to other countries.