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No it shouldn't be used to reduce shipments anywhere.
Anywhere as in what? Ukraine?
Reality check; Ukraine went to negotiation table in Brussels today in a very weak position, but with very high demands. (In fact A. Miller, head of Gazprom didn't even call it "negotiations" but "preliminary consultations.")
Couple of days ago I was listening to these guys - the pros in the energy sector/economy of Ukraine and their analysis of the current situation/predictions.
The particularly sobering analysis comes from this soft-spoken young man in the blue cardigan - definitely a South-Easterner, judging by the way he talks. ( I discover with a big surprise lately the difference between the educated Russian speakers in Kiev and other regions. The ones in Kiev ( like the current speaker of Ukrainian parliament Razumkov or MP Dubinsky ( a journalist turned deputy) sound like Moscovites ( if I'd meet them somewhere in Moscow, I wouldn't know the difference, or wouldn't have a clue that they speak Ukrainian as well.) But this young guy with very eloquent Russian, sounds like someone from South Eastern Ukraine. Whoever he is - (he is introduced here as an expert in economy and politics,) and although all three have good questions for the Ukr. government and its official stand on gas/economy issues, this one points at the US as the only hefty/unaccounted factor in negotiations. And he, ( like me) POINTS SPECIFICALLY AT THE TIES of Ukraine ( and what's going on there) WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY of the US.
The purpose of Nordstream 2 is to increase shipments as Europe is buying more and more gas each year, and even with American LNG increasing its market share, there is still more demand than supply projected in the next decade. Ukraine will sign an agreement with Gazprom soon to contract gas transit so all this claim to the contrary will be pretty meaningless then. They probably won't get a great deal but gas isn't worth as much as it used to be...
The purpose of Nordstream 2 is to deal directly with Germans, cutting out any "middle man" ( Ukraine in this case.)
But be patient, the news are coming in, from few directions- both Brussels and Donbass.
And not only by the way, there is more on Trump-Zelensky front, and even London is in the picture by now.
This subject of gas transit is interesting. I'm glad you have piqued my interest in this subject. Apparently we've been lobbying Europe to reject Russian gas since the 70s with mixed success. And Ukraine was an unreliable partner 10 years ago and more. Corrupt bandits were in charge so no real surprise there.
Also interesting to learn that while Naftogaz was paid 3 billion a year for transit, most of that was eaten up in "costs" which may have been inflated through corruption. So even if they only get half as much in revenue in the new contract, the state will not get a reduced payment if they clean out the corrupt middlemen. That is why Europe is making them split Naftogaz apart, because they aren't going to support Ukraine in these negotiations just to make some oligarchs rich.
I remember taking a train from Warsaw to Kiev to meet my wife there. The western part of the main line was not even electrified and we ran on diesel electric the whole way practically. I also remember coming into Kiev station, it took forever because the tracks bed was so bad. The rails were uneven vertically, wavey. In some spots easily visible with the naked eye. That's why we did 10 miles an hour for 45 minutes coming into the station.
That's also probably the problem with that new locomotive. It's designed to be used on nice level rails (there are tolerances) and if the rail bed the rail sits on is not in good firm shape the the rail will sag and distort creating small valleys and hills. No single locomotive have an easy time getting 1000s of tons moving in that situation.
there may also be a govenor system on the locomotive which limits torque and horsepower in order to make the engine more efficient and give it a longer life. Good ideas all but i don't think it will be suitable for railroads there. This is what Russians use. They're huge and very powerful and meant for intercontinental use and moving huge loads.
I guess I should not have given you the benefit of the doubt. Like a good Russian you keep twisting facts to serve your agenda. I'm not going to waste my time arguing with someone over whether we should consider corn and soyabeans grains, when they aren't. Ukraine's grain exports last year (grain like most harvests are counted in fiscal years) were just shy of 50 million tons. You won't find a country which exported more than that, so that means it was the top in the world. Keep smacking yourself in the face and bring up irrelevant counterpoints all you want.
Even if we do not take into account soybeans, the US still exported last year 93 million tons (wheat, barley,corn, and others), so that Ukraine and everyone else until these figures as until the moon. Keep dreaming.
Scandal: Ukraine continues to hand out passports to ISIS militants
Quote:
Returning from Syria militants terrorist organization ISIS attempts to legalize with new passports due to the current corruption scheme in Ukraine.
About it to "political Navigator" the public man from Genichesk Gennady Sivak told, referring to the sources in Kherson.
He told about the scheme operating in the Kherson region which allows "members of the terrorist organizations to be legalized freely, getting original and counterfeit Ukrainian passports with fictitious marks about crossing of the state border".
Subsequently, former militants using the Ukrainian documents can get on the territory of the European Union, using a facilitated visa regime.
Sivak noted that some time ago, information about the legalization OF ISIS militants has already been voiced in the press, but the Ukrainian authorities have not taken measures to eliminate corruption schemes.
According to Sivak, organizers of illegal issue of documents in Kherson make illegal purchase of the Ukrainian passports which remained at the Crimean Tatars in the territory of the Russian Peninsula. Then these documents are transported across the border, they change the photos, and the militants receive pseudo-legal identity cards.
"Members of terrorist organizations use identification and visa documents of Ukraine to enter the territory of the European Union. Documents are purchased on the territory of the Republic of Crimea from local residents who have already received Russian passports. Passports are bought according to the following criteria: the photo of the person in the passport is not Slavic appearance, male, Muslim surnames and names, age from 18 to 45 years, no criminal record and passport. The cost of a passport that meets the requirements varies from 100 to 500 us dollars, " Sivak said.
According to him, one of organizers of this criminal scheme the leader of the organization "the Youthful asset of Kherson" Sergey Kalchenko acts.
"Using personal connections in the State migration service of Ukraine, Kalchenko organizes gluing in the purchased passport photos of customers and further registration of the necessary documents to allow the person to leave the EU and the United States. The following passports and their owners are established:
– Ibragimov Zabar M., G. R. 31.05.1982, passport series ITS No. 885824;
– Ubaydullaev Fevzi Eskenderovich, 27.01.1983 G. R., passport series HER;
– Isaev Rustem Raschitovich, 11.07.1982 G. R., passport series ITS No. 026430;
– Asanov Luma Shmaevich, 01.06.1971 G. R., passport series ET No. 873921;
– Aji Edie Ablyamitov, 29.03.1968 G. R., passport series EC No. 877520;
– Zakir Ismailov Marshak, 21.11.1959 G. R., passport series ET No. 069501;
Helisev Rustam Serverovich, 09.01.1964 G. R.;
– Nersesyan Armen Minevich, 08.10.1972 G. R., passport series KM No. 306554;
– Aji Ernes Rizaevich, passport series ET No. 058795" – listed Sivak.
"This information is particularly alarming. The world community is consolidated in the fight against terrorism. But it turns out that in Ukraine formed organized criminal groups, allowing legalized people who were in LIH. This terrorist organization is now defeated, its fighters like cockroaches running around the world. The situation is very dangerous", - the public man emphasized.
Sivak recalled that a year ago, Crimean TV reported uncovering the scheme of legalization of ISIS militants in the Kherson region. After resonance existence of a problem were compelled to recognize in security Service of Ukraine. However, as the public man claims, the group which is engaged in the help to runaway terrorists, still"in business".
"The situation has only worsened. In Kherson left the whole task force from Kiev. There were plans to arrest all the participants in the criminal scheme. However, in the end, the Kiev security forces returned to the capital with nothing. No one was punished. Their names and surnames are known. It turns out, this organized criminal group has a high cover with which even employees of SBU from Kiev can't make anything", – Sivak told.
"Unfortunately, after the change of power in Ukraine, there is no progress in this "passport case". To bring order here – a matter of honor not only for Zelensky, but also for the state of Ukraine which now, actually, helps to be legalized to criminals from ISIS", - the public man concluded.
I see Ukraine is in the news today, again, in connection with the internal US politics.
"The revelation is likely to raise more questions in the ongoing controversy over a mysterious complaint submitted by an intelligence whistleblower that involves Trump's communications with a foreign leader. The complaint deals at least in part with Ukraine, The New York Times and Washington Post reported Thursday night.
In the phone call, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "that he should work with [Mr. Giuliani] on Biden, and that people in Washington wanted to know" whether allegations were true or not, one of the people said, according to the Journal.
Giuliani has long lobbied Ukraine to investigate Biden's call in 2016 to remove the country's top prosecutor, who at one point had been investigating a Ukrainian natural gas company connected to Biden's son, Hunter.
...Asked whether he'd discussed Biden with Ukraine's Zelensky during a phone call in late July, Trump said it "doesn't matter what I discussed," but insisted that someone should look into Biden.
"It was disgraceful, where he talked about billions of dollars he's not giving to a certain country unless a certain prosecutor's taken off the case," Trump said, appearing to refer to January remarks when Biden discussed his interactions with Ukraine's leadership when serving as vice president."
So "mysterious whistle-blower," huh?
Why is it Trump not allowed to go and collect the evidence against his opponent ( as the other side did it previously) is a mystery to me.
Judging by what I see/hear here ( that's the very Ukrainian prosecutor fired on Biden's request,) he might actually have a good case against Biden ( Trump that is. )
Another thing I am curious about is what the heck oligarch Kolomoysky did exactly ( whose path he crossed and why,) that Giuliani is all up in arms against him? What kind of *financial deals* ( may be?) he got involved in, that he p**d some ppl. off so bad?
I see the Western media is already concocting their case, spinning their cobweb to brianwash their readers out there, how mysterious "Ukrainian people" hate oligarchs "like Kolomoysky," and how aforementioned oligarch is threatening now the very life of Valeria Gontareva,
the former chairwoman of Ukrainian National bank, up to the point that she is forced to look for political asylum in London.
"Zelenskiy appears to be hoping his early successes and his young administration’s good intentions will overshadow the Kolomoisky issue for most voters, even if he makes a deal with the oligarch. But any kind of settlement that would either reverse the nationalization of Privatbank or allow Kolomoisky to get away with not covering the cost of the bailout would signal to the world, if not yet to most Ukrainians, that Zelenskiy may be no different from Ukraine’s previous leaders, who were often venal, beholden to oligarchs or both.
Kolomoisky isn’t someone willing to play by any new rules, and that alone should make Zelenskiy and his appointees extra careful and refrain from any dealings with him. Ukrainian politics is a slippery slope, and before the president and his team know it, they could be as indelibly tarnished as their predecessors. Zelenskiy needs to prove that he’s not going to use his power to help old friends and partners. Cutting off Kolomoisky’s access, and publicly supporting a speedy investigation into Gontareva’s troubles, would be a start."
And here rushes in the BBC, echoing the same carefully concocted information;
"The ex-head of Ukraine's national bank has told the BBC she fears for her life after one of her homes near Kiev was badly damaged in an arson attack."
Oh shock, oh horror, who would have thought?
Gontareva, the darling of "economic reforms" orchestrated by the West in Ukraine, ( whatever little they could accomplish) under Poroshenko.
And now the reality check;
Kolomoysky is regarded by Ukrainians as only ONE of the oligarchs ( there are quite a few of them out there, the West prefers to not to talk about those who are more in a shadow, or those who are actually convenient, like, say... the "chocolate king," Mr. Poroshenko himself?
"Benya" Kolomoysky, as someone with flamboyant personality, a person who doesn't mind to be in public eye and talk about his business deals out in the open, is greatly hated by some, while actually admired by other.
As the rumor has it - he was actually very popular in his native Dnepropetrovsk area, where his motto was "When Ukrainians are wealthy, this makes me wealthy as well."
Valeria Gontareva on another hand is unanimously hated by Ukrainians and regarded as the face of corruption, the right hand of Poroshenko in his dirty deals.
The person who is responsible for the destruction and plundering of Ukrainian banks, with billions of funds transferred out of the country to offshore accounts through her private company.
No one believes in her "life threatened" stories, or the "arsons" ( with five of her security guards being conveniently fired just before the "arson.")
And since she is currently under the criminal investigation in Ukraine, everyone is expecting her to ask for political asylum in London ( and to receive it.)
Why not? So many Russian crooks acting in the same manner received it before.
That we can agree on. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people.
The scumbag politcians and child killers are what needs to go.
Miserable copycats with their video, that try so hard to present Ukraine as "just another typical European country."
But we all know the difference in real life.
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